The fall holy days picture various judgments by God, bringing about liberty, reconciliation, regathering, and restoration.

Love motivates the two intrinsic parts of God's holy character—goodness and severity, as He seeks to rescue humanity from the consequences of sin.

The 9/11 bombings were tragic and terrible. Some have since asked, 'Was God involved? Is He to blame?' These tough questions have challenging answers.

One of God's roles is as Judge, and His judgments are eternally binding. But what does this mean? Who is judged? How? When? For what?

Among the spiritual realities that a faithful Christian must understand is God's sense of justice. The deaths of Nadab and Abihu are a case in point.

We share with Christ the prospect of preparing the earth for billions of people awaiting their opportunity for eternal life, assisting in the harvest.

God does not like to inflict punishment on people, but because of sin, He is obligated to correct. But as quickly as God punishes, God restores and heals.

We must emulate the ways of God, demonstrating justice in our lives, thoughts, words, and deeds, preparing to judge in God's Kingdom. Not all sins are equal.

God commands us to set our minds on things above and not on the earthly, seeking the eternal Kingdom of God rather than perishable treasures of this world.

Sometimes God's sense of justice seems unusual or strange to us, giving us many questions to ponder about fairness. Justice and fairness are not identical.

We must consider ourselves cooperating with a great cloud of witnesses, who had to jettison the weights that encumbered them, making them less vulnerable to sin.

In order to live by faith, we must understand God's sovereignty, God's character, and God's justice, realizing that we do not see the entire picture.

God's cloud expresses His glory because of His presence in it. His 'portable throne' in Ezekiel 1 and 10 is likewise linked to 'a great cloud.'

The distorted perception of Jesus as an effeminate and ineffective Savior fails to understand that He is the so-called stern God of the Old Testament.

God is absolutely justified in what He decides regarding the judgment and punishment of us all. However, He is merciful and always rewards righteousness.

God is patient and tender-hearted to late bloomers, forgiving sincerely repentant individuals, but will not budge an inch on rebellion or sin.

Many have inadvertently adopted a soft concept of God, disrespecting and showing contempt for God's authority and power. Godly fear is a gift of wisdom.

An apparent contradiction exists between I Chronicles 21:1 stating that Satan moved David to take the census while I Samuel 21:1 says that God did.

The Great White Throne Judgment is a general resurrection to mortal life, allowing the majority of those who have ever lived an opportunity for salvation.

We need to prepare physically and mentally for God's expected judgment—a terrible thing for those not aligned to His divine purpose for humanity.

The book of Amos is an astounding prophecy, closely paralleling the conditions in the Western world today. Amos reveals how unrighteousness undermines society.

In addition to dispatching the talent sized hail, God responded to Joshua's request to extend the day—requiring an infinitude of miracles.

Micah 5 describes legal proceedings against the people who have rejected God, promising a harsh retribution but future restoration for a physical remnant.

In God's hands, trials and afflictions are tools to produce refined character and joy, and to move us away from worldly choices and back to His purpose.

God protected Enoch from death so he could teach Noah, providing the godly instruction that Methuselah and Lamech (Noah's grandfather and father) failed to give.

Israel had every opportunity that the Gentiles did not have. God gave the Israelites gifts to live a better way, but they completely failed to reflect Him.

God has expressed infinite patience with Jacob's rebellious children, but He has also put a time limit on their tolerance and craving for lawlessness.

'Stare Decisis' is a principle that precedent should determine legal decision in making a case involving similar facts.

The demise of an institution can result from the irresponsibility of its constituents; if one member sins, the whole body experiences the effects.

The ephod, the curious girdle, and the breastplate of judgment were part of the high priest's attire that teach us godly principles today.

God's prophets have a difficult job. Seeing the world through God's eyes, they are tormented by the rising tide of sin and the coming destruction.

Both Lot and Ezekiel were tormented by the abominations, sins, and defilement taking place within their culture, polluted with idolatry and paganism.

God exercised incredible restraint and mercy considering the magnitude of our national sins. Natural disasters should lead us all to reflect and repent.

Our fear of being judged negatively by God should spur us to greater obedience and growth toward godliness. The fear of God is a fundamental mindset.

After the Spirit of God is imparted, removing the fear of men and installing the life-sustaining fear of God, the real dramatic growth takes place.

Jesus lists judgment as the first of the weightier matters in Matthew 23. Judgment is a major part of Christianity, but needs to be properly understood.

A common mantra, even among Christians, is 'You shouldn't judge.' Is this a right concept? Here is the problem, and how righteous judgment should be done.

We live daily in uncharted territory, but the sobering account in Numbers provides a roadmap, establishing God's pattern of judging our pilgrimage conduct.

The timing of the regathering of Israel is uncertain, but here are the Scriptural markers that narrow the time frame to a significant prophetic event.

Sometimes we see God as unfair, but when we remember that we are worthy of death, we understand that God has demonstrated far more mercy than harshness.

During Jacob's Trouble, a confederacy of gentile peoples (particularly the offspring of Ishmael and Esau) will destroy the nations of modern-day Israel.

Our forebears often forgot the frequency of God's merciful intervention and declared that it was useless to serve God.

Persecution and martyrdom are not popular topics among Christians, but they are facts. The fifth seal shows the cry of the martyrs and God's response.

The Sixth Seal of Revelation details the reaction of some people to the amazing heavenly signs they witness, giving us insight into what lies ahead.

The Sixth Seal of Revelation foretells of the sun turning black and the moon turning red, stars falling, and a terrible earthquake that moves mountains.

The Feast of Trumpets is a memorial of blowing of trumpets, symbolizing the Day of the Lord, the real war to end all wars, when Christ will subdue the earth.

The Seventh Trumpet is a call to assemble, a call to battle, and announces the arrival of a new ruler, Jesus Christ, separating the wheat from the tares.

Both the time element and the significance of the Great White Throne has been lost on most of 'Christianity' because it refuses to keep God's Holy Days.

When Joel describes the devastating locust plagues, instead of promising a silver lining on a very black cloud, he says things are going to get intensely worse.

Peter warns of scoffers in the church, apostate tares, devoid of God's spirit, ridiculing the doctrine that Christ would return or doctrines of judgment.

The Olivet Prophecy foretells a gathering of eagles or vultures in anticipation of God's judgment. Will they mistake us for the nearly-dead?

Numerous examples in scripture demonstrate a sudden reversal by God, who overturns the pride of human will, revealing His plans to the lowly and the humble.

Doubting that Christ will return has always been problematic for the faithful weak as well as a tool of the heretics denying the second coming of Christ.

Paul describes physical Israel as broken branches, allowing gentile branches to be grafted in, ultimately leading to the return of Israel to God's grace.

The Feast of Trumpets is like the opening salvo of the fall feasts, beginning with a blast of the trumpet or shofar, reminiscent of the event on Mount Sinai.

God is a God of mercy, but He has a stiff core of justice which will not be placated unless we repent. To whom much has been given, much will be required.

When the end-time signs begin to be fulfilled, the time for long-term spiritual growth will be over. So Jesus commands us, 'Therefore you also be ready.'

Personified Jerusalem, whom God depicts as a grieving widow, blames others for her troubles while overlooking her own sins as the real cause of her sorrow.

In the fullness of time, God will pour His spirit on all peoples, including those who had formerly directed their hostility on God and His chosen people.

The church may fear that the Lord is delaying His coming, and scoffers make the seeming delay worse. However, God is giving people opportunity for repentance.

We can do nothing to gain the favor of God before our calling, but we are empowered by God to carry out a particular part of His plan to edify the body.

The seventh Millennium will be a time of rest, when the suffering we experience today will be gone, enabling preparation for the Great White Throne Judgment.

The book's five acrostic songs (chapters) answer the question, 'Why did this happen?' God brought the punishment on Judah because of gross and sustained sin.

All authority for law and justice resides in God; when God is taken out of the picture, darkness and chaos dominate. God's laws create a better life and character.

The world will learn that God judges—that He has the ultimate decision over everything. After Satan is bound, God will bring about seven reconcilements.

Amos describes the Israelites as proud and secure in their special relationship with God, while God castigates them for presuming He approved of them.

As we approach the coming self-examination prior to Passover, we can apply six significant lessons taught to ancient Israel through the book of Lamentations.

In Lamentations 2, Lady Jerusalem sidesteps godly repentance, opting instead for self-centered recrimination against Almighty God.

Nadab and Abihu, Ananias and Sapphira, and Uzzah, all aware of the penalties for their actions, rebelled against God's clear and unambiguous instructions.

If physical life (symbolized by the grass of the earth) withers away, we who have been given the Word of the Lord will endure and thrive forever.

God frequently turns things around with an element of surprise, defeating human will, replacing it with understanding of the benefits of His will.

Isaiah 24 prophesies that God will preserve a remnant made up of grape gleanings (the His Church) and of olives (national Israelites) who will sing together.

Any prophetic speculation, accurate or not, is useless unless it is promotes diligence in living godly lives, eagerly preparing for the return of Christ.

God put up with the foibles of Abraham, Samson, David, Job, and others, allowing them time to repent and build character. We need to develop this godly trait.

Sometimes we are disturbed, even angered, because an act of God seems unfair. We have difficulty because we do not understand holiness, justice, sin, and grace.

Paul gives two signs of the Tribulation: The falling away and the appearance of the man of sin who sits in the temple in Jerusalem (II Thessalonians 2:3-4).