If people do not understand, then they will think or hold the view that God in the Old Testament and God in the New Testament is not the same. Indeed, in the early centuries, there was a “Marcion” teaching which taught that the God of the Old Testament was not the same as the God of the New Testament. The God of the Old Testament was a cruel, merciless God not like the God of the New Testament. This view is certainly wrong and astray. The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament, Elohim Yahweh. We believe that Elohim or Yahweh God is the only One God. He is the God who created the heavens and earth, whose deeds, and traces of which are written in the Old Testament.
It is this God, Yahweh, who sent His Son, Jesus Christ to become a human who is in every way likened to us. So, the God of the Old Testament is the Elohim Yahweh and the God of the New Testament is also the Elohim Yahweh who sent His Son, Jesus. In the New Testament, we often find the Lord Jesus calling Elohim Yahweh as Father. He teaches us to call Elohim Yahweh also Father. This is actually amazing. It is a great gift when we can call the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who exists from eternal to eternal, as Father, it is extraordinary.
If we can live this, we become very strong, our hearts are firm and strong to face all circumstances because the God we worship is strong and almighty. If we truly experience the existence of Elohim Yahweh, we become afraid of Him in holiness. This will make us live blameless and spotless before Him, and willingly out of respect and love for the Creator of heaven and earth, to whom we owe life and goodness. But why in the Old Testament did God seem cruel? He treated sinners in the Old Testament is so strict. When someone is wrong will severely be punished.
But in the New Testament, this Figure seems to disappear, as if He didn’t appear, then leaves sinners unpunished. Here we must understand. In the Old Testament, God acted decisively with physical punishment on those who committed transgressions or wrongdoings. But in the New Testament—sometimes God can also give physical punishment—but He saves His wrath for the Lord’s Day. It is terrible. We should understand that God saves His wrath for sinners who will be determined whether to enter eternal glory or eternal humiliation.
In 2 Pet.3, it is written, “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. Above all, you must understand that in the last days, scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.”
The picture of this situation is exactly what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah, and in fact, the end-time humans are even eviler. Human evil is ripened and perfected. God seems to allow someone to be mean to someone else. People who have the courage, and arbitrariness towards each other. In fact, God actually speaks or rebukes. However, when God repeatedly rebukes and someone does not heed His rebuke, then God lets. Until the evil of that person matures, and then God will act on them.
If one day, suppose, God is judged, then He can’t be found wrong when He acts like that towards those people because He has rebuked them repeatedly, but they still live according to their own lusts. Lust is not just talking about eating, drinking, and sex, but all desires that are contrary to God’s will. Do not let God let us continue to live in error, evil, sin, and hypocrisy until the evil ripens. This is God’s warning to us. If we despise this warning from God, then He will be silent.
So, when we face serious problems that preoccupy our thoughts, and feelings and threaten our lives or our families, surely it is a warning from God. God will surely give warnings. God can speak directly, either through dreams or through serious problems. Such harsh rebuke should make us change, but if we don’t change, well, God will let us. As it is written, “…in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” They are “throwing stones” at God through their unchanging actions.
When God repeatedly rebukes and someone doesn’t heed His rebuke, then He lets them