There is a fallacy that we can alleviate evil by just being harsher in our judgments and punishments.

History and the social sciences join this text in bringing that assumption into question.

Revelation 16:1: takes us to an eternal grandstand where we observe a tragic example:

"The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness; people gnawed their tongues in agony, and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and they did not repent of their deeds."

God exercises such prerogatives when there is no other way.

He shows us so that we might know and so that we might repent.

John's vision is a good description of the self-destructive personality, addicted to negativity.

Often, no amount of suffering from the consequences can produce an effective impetus for change.

God is reaching out in judgment and hearts are getting harder.

We sadly see this mindset illustrated with great frequency in our ministries to the hurting who are as likely to hurt themselves as they are others.

They would rather curse God than turn to Him for mercy and new life.

Their stubborn willfulness is not the result of the judgment, but is revealed by it. It is a last straw, a final outreach.

Sometimes, the prospects seem bleak.

That being said, we keep trying to shine the light of love and grace.

We keep the lighthouse open and the light shining on the rocky shores of destruction.

Photo by Bayu Anggoro on Unsplash