Ted Turner called the Bible "weird" because it recounted a man who suffered and died on the cross so that our sins might be washed away and that he was proud of the fact that the more he "lost" his faith, the better he felt (Reel - Real).
Cable Stations such as A&E, The Learning Channel, The Discovery Channel, The National Geographic Channel and The History Channel have broadcast documentaries on the lives of not only Jesus, but on Job, Mary, David, Noah, Samson, Joseph and many others on a monthly basis. All of these documentaries were to discredit the Bible. Unfortunately, many viewers take their words as the viewpoint of all biblical scholars.
Why would God allow this to go on?
Does God know that Ted called the Bible weird?
If so, why does God not show Ted the truth first hand?
As the Creator and Ruler of all of the universe, God is the Judge of all the earth.
Genesis 18:25
“ … Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Judgment is required by His holy nature and accountability of His creatures. God is a holy God and hates sin.
Though the word judgment has various meanings in scripture, theologically it seems to represent three ideas.
God’s trial of personal creatures.
God’s sentence upon these creatures.
God’s execution of His sentence.
In John 5, Jesus said that God the Father has committed all judgment to Him.
Now here is the problem.
Why is God’s judgment not more obvious in lives of those who willfully and deliberately disobey? Reread the opening statements and if you’re like me, you want God to just zap someone when they make statements such as seen above.
“Vengeance is mine, I will repay”, says the Lord…yes, but when?
If Ananias and Sapphira couldn’t get the Lord to overlook even one solitary act of hypocrisy, why then today can some lie, cheat, steal and commit any other type of sin and still keep going.
I can remember reading the book, “Knowing God” by J. I. Packer, about 15 years ago and feeling this same frustration. Knowing God and calling Him your Lord, you will hear others mock His name and run His holy name into the ground. You just want God to make it clear to the mockers who He is. At times my thoughts were, “I wish I were God for one day”. If so, I would zap a few people or at least trip them each time they tried to walk.
When I read this book years ago, I remember a chapter near the middle of the book entitled “God the Judge”. Surely in this chapter the writer would tell how God would stand up in His time and show His wrath to those that mock Him. I read in full anticipation of the upcoming dissertation on the judgment of God.
On the first page of this chapter my whole mood quickly changed. The writer had cleverly pulled me into a trap of self-righteousness. I had looked at others and the sins they were guilty of and wanting God to deal with them. What I had forgotten was that I was also a sinner. What I forgot, was that I too would answer to God. I quickly was reminded of the sins in my own life. What if God had zapped me when I as a young lad and lied in order not to get a spanking?
It became clear to me that I needed to thank God that he did not rush to hand out His judgment. If God had passed judgment at the moment it was owed to me, I would have been zapped years ago.
Do not be fooled into thinking God’s judgment will not come. Many make this mistake when judgment does not come right away. Judgment will indeed come and when it comes there is no stopping it.
Yet most of the time, God holds off His judgment for a while.
Theologian John Gill said,
God is sometimes called, "the God of patience", not only because he is the author and object of the grace of patience, and that is grateful to him; but because he is patient, or longsuffering in himself, and towards his creatures, and is a pattern of patience to them; for this is one of the attributes of God, in which he may in some measure be imitated. This is not to be considered as a quality, accident, passion, or affection in God, as in creatures; who bear with patience things grievous, distressing, and torturing to them, but it is the very nature and essence of God, which is free from all passion and perturbation, from all suffering, grief, and pain; it springs from his goodness, and is as essential to him as that, and is joined with it, it is no other than a moderation of his anger, a restraint of that, a deferring the effects of it, at least for a while, according to his sovereign will; it is an extension and prolongation of mercy for a season; for mercy is always in it and with it; and in this it differs from it, that the mercy of God is from everlasting to everlasting; but the longsuffering of God, as to the exercise of it, is only for a time, until some certain end is answered, and in which it issues; either in the damnation and destruction of the wicked, when they are fitted for it, or in the salvation of God's elect, for it is exercised towards both, till each take place; which will be distinctly considered.
Believers and non-believers must know of the judgment of God, but for different reasons. Non-believers for their unbelief and believers will be judged on what they have done for the kingdom of God.
We all must remember, God is slow to wrath, yet it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.