What must take place for the wicked to perish? In these times sin and lawlessness are found everywhere yet we know FATHER will respond and bring forth HIS Righteous judgments throughout the land. HIS Righteousness demands that those who are lawless be exposed in their perverseness and blindness. HE does this by raising up a standard by which all are measured.
When Jesus walked the earth, His presence provided the stark contrast to those in charge. In Matthew chapter 3, John the Baptist spoke by THE SPIRIT:
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”
I am sure the Pharisees and Sadducees were feeling pretty good about themselves the day before Jesus arrived on the scene. However once Jesus’ ministry began, theirs started to decline and John prophesied of the judgments which would result from this Standard being raised up.
Men represent trees in Scripture and the deciding factor to their judgment is fruit. Fire is meant to purge us of the impurities of our past, effectively wiping away our past. FATHER has the ability and willingness to wipe away all of our past and fully purify our hearts. Consider the impact of this Truth. Our past can be totally changed for FATHER is not subject to time and can remove all of our sins, HE can and will blot them out. Our minds may have difficulty in grasping this reality but consider this major Truth. All of our past wickedness, lawlessness, spot, wrinkle, and sin are totally erased. With that in mind, in the Revelation of Jesus Christ chapter 21:
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
FATHER will remove the “former things” in our lives and the result is that we become fully righteous in HIS Eyes. What a blessing! HE can and will purify our hearts of all the dross from our past and thus we can stand on the Word found in Matthew chapter 5:
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Why would FATHER blot out the sins of our past? This is what Love does. We must consider those who are chief among the sinners can and will be restored at some point thus we must be careful not to judge according to our own understanding. Saul was an enemy of the believers on one day whereas the next day he was called by Jesus and began preparation to minister the Gospel. His past did not prevent FATHER from using him, neither will ours. This is true of those who are represented by the Pharisees and Sadducees as well.
As we fully embrace the reality of FATHER transforming us into pure, righteous vessels, we can then embrace the revelation of being able to produce nothing but good fruit in our walk. We can expect Psalm 112 to apply to us:
1 Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who delights greatly in His commandments.
2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is established;
He will not be afraid,
Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.
9 He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted with honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.