Let's Dedicate Ourselves to Help Him

Have you ever felt frustrated because some people
misunderstand you, and say things about you that you know are not true?
They misrepresent you, and it seems that nothing you can do or say in your self-defense makes any difference--does that bring pain to you?

That precisely is the problem that God has. A wise writer has said that the world is dark with misapprehension of God, which is in fact
false "religion." Such falsehood has been the source of almost incredible
injustice for millennia. Think of the millions who were persecuted by false concepts of religion in the Dark Ages. Think of the current state of
terrorism in the world, including "September 11" and its aftermath. The
Israeli/Palestinian conflict itself is the direct result of religious falsehood, no matter which side you stand on politically. Even the atheists resent leadership by any group that claims to believe in any kind of "God"!

Suppose you were a non-Christian reading the Bible for the first time. And suppose you read like many people do--the last chapters first. So here you are reading the Book of Revelation about those truly blood-curdling "seven last plagues" (chapter 16) and about the "fire and brimstone" and "torment" that it seems that God brings on people who get mixed up about which is "the seal of God" and which is "the mark of the beast" (14:8-11), and the picture of God Himself wading through people's blood up to the horses' bridles (14:20).

And yet deep in your heart you know that God is good, that He reveals Himself in Christ, yes, that "God is love" (agape, 1 John 4:8). How can this world that is "dark with misapprehension of God" ever be effectively enlightened by truth that reconciles them to Him as He truly is?

God does not sit helpless in the face of these massive
distortions of His character. Christ Himself as great High Priest is conducting a world ministry that is a cosmic Day of Atonement, or
reconciliation with God. He is determined that the earth be "lightened"
with the truth about His heavenly Father (see Rev. 18:1-4). Let's dedicate ourselves to help Him.

--Robert J. Wieland

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