For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV)
Who can stand before God?
The peoples of the earth call out: “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (Rev 6:16,17). If the kings and princes can’t stand, then God is no respecter of noble blood. If the generals can’t stand, then God is no respecter of human military command. If the rich can’t stand, then God is no respecter of money and possessions. If the slave can’t stand, then God is no respecter of the terrible life experiences that people endure. If the free can’t stand, then God is no respecter of the independent humans who place high value on individuals.
Whom then will God respect? Who will He allow to stand in His presence? It is a large multitude - so large we can’t count all the people. They are from “every nation, tribe, people and language” with special mention of the tribe of Jacob. God is therefore no respecter of language, no respecter of geography, and no respecter of skin colour.
Friend, will you be in that multitude? Will you be one of those standing in front of the throne, serving your God day and night?
Whom does God respect? Only His Son, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ! Only those who have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”! Only those who have done something; they have put their faith and trust in the finished work of the Lamb of God. Those are the ones, and only those, who will be able to stand. They are the only ones who receive encouragement from the words of Paul recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5.
We have been appointed. We have been called. We have been sealed. We have been chosen. The Bible describes God’s actions towards us in different ways using a variety of words, but it all means the same thing: GRACE! God’s AMAZING GRACE!
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