After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission to damage the earth and the sea: “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Now I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, 144,000, sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel… Revelation 7:1-4
New English Translation
When thinking about the great judgment of Revelation, it can be easy to get stuck on the terrifying happenings and begin to muddle your idea of God into this horrifying and angry God. However, that’s an incomplete picture. To describe God as just without accounting for His mercy is to not describe God at all!
Here, in the midst of all the judgment being set upon the earth, God’s kindness shows as He seeks to protect those who serve Him. He doesn’t simply take the easy route of destroying everyone and everything. He carefully sets aside those who have striven to be His people and love like He loves, even if imperfectly.
When we realize this, we get to understand the heart of God better. If He were a God seeking your flaws and waiting for you to mess up, then He’d never provide protection for anyone. He’d just want to cleanse the world of imperfection by any means possible. Yet, here we see clearly that is not who He is. He’s merciful and loving, making sure that there is a chance for those He loves, which is everyone, to find safety in Him.
It’s important to never lose sight of the connection between God’s mercy and His judgment. When we focus too much on His judgment, we’re always afraid that He’s going to see us mess up and destroy us for it. If we focus too much on His mercy, then we get this deluded idea that we can do whatever and be fine because He’s merciful and won’t care. However, when they work together, we realize that He’s a loving and caring God who wants the very best for His children, so He’s not going to sit back and let sin terrorize the world forever. He will hold those responsible who willfully sin and disobey Him, but He will protect those who realize their imperfection and seek His help in that.
How do you view God? Do you realize how much He cares for you and that He desires you to be one of those people under His protection? He doesn’t care about your past. He doesn’t care about the mistakes. What matters to Him is your heart right here and now. Of all the moments to decide whether you will serve God or not, why not take the leap right now? There is nothing to fear because when you turn to Him, rather than listing all the ways you messed up, He simply calls you His child and you begin to feel the love that He’s felt for you all along. I encourage you not to hesitate any longer. Now’s an excellent time to experience a merciful and just God for yourself.