After Christ removes the church, He will establish the time of Jacob’s trouble. After this, Christ will return as a thief in the night to make up His jewels.
In every way, God is greater than man. A man would have to be a thief to claim equality with God. Yet, Christ thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
Christ was no thief, but He allowed Himself to be crucified with and for thieves. Why did He allow this? Love compelled Him to bear the sins of many.
No sensible person would ever ask to be on the receiving end of the wrath of God. The thought is completely illogical! Yet, this scenario takes place every day in the lives of those who live with hardened hearts toward the things of God. The Bible affirms that a humble spirit begs God's attention and brings His corresponding blessings (Isaiah 66:2). Contrariwise, a hard heart also garners God's attention but for judgment rather than blessing. Today's passage points out that the hard heart treasures up wrath against itself. This wrath rarely takes place immediately, but it will come in the “day of wrath.” It is important to recall that hardness of heart brought the plagues upon Egypt and it brought blindness to the Jews in Jesus' day. Ultimately, it will bring eternal damnation in the lake of fire to all those who fail to accept God's payment for sin.
Sometimes the most effective means of defining a Bible word involves researching those words commonly associated with the word in question. Delicate is such a word. On four occasions, the Bible associates the word delicate with variations of the word tender (Deuteronomy 28:54, 56; Isaiah 47:1). This association provides the Bible student with the sense that a delicate person is easily broken spiritually. Additional Bible study demonstrates that a tender heart remains pliable and prone to brokenness before the Lord. Conversely, the Bible points to a hardened heart as remaining obstinate. The word obstinate conveys an inflexibleness or stubbornness. As believers, we should aspire to be tenderhearted before the Lord with a heart easily moved to accomplish His will.
