While it is true that many sinful deeds are being committed in our town, just as in the rest of the world, the message of judgment issued by the so-called “messenger of God” is not a Biblical one, at least not in this present age, for the following reasons…

The present age we are living in is indeed an evil age, corrupted by the sin of the first man Adam that has undoubtedly affected us all. Scripture is clear on this, “none is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:11). Paul goes on to say a few verses later, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23).

Therefore we are all lost and under the judgment of God. But thankfully the Bible is also very clear in its Good News message of the gospel of Jesus. We are told that God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that he chose to come in person and offer the world life in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a free gift and is an offer of forgiveness and new life to all who believe in Him.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16).

This is such an amazing and well-known verse in the Bible, but what follows in the next verse is even more amazing, where it is written, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17.

The stumbling block to many however is that when Jesus, God’s Son, entered our world some 2000 + years ago to seek and to save sinners like we all are, it was not in the way the people who were waiting for the Messiah had expected. They expected a concurring king like King David, who would immediately overthrow the Roman rule, judge all evil and set up his righteous kingdom on the earth from where He would rule the nations.

So when He came, they did not recognise him because he did not come as a concurring king to judge the world as they thought, but rather as a humble suffering servant who gave up his life on the cross to take God’s judgment of our sin upon Himself, and all he requires of us is to believe in him to escape judgment.

The world will without doubt yet see the coming of God’s Kingdom when Jesus comes a second time with power and judgment, but not yet, it is for a future undisclosed time at the end of this age. But the mystery that we now live with is, that God has already come into the world to work among men, but in an entirely different way to what was expected.

God is not at the present time destroying human rule, good or bad, or judging the world and removing the sin that is so unashamedly practiced in this present age.

God has come quietly and secretly and the crowds do not easily recognise His work among men. In the spiritual realm however, the Kingdom of God is already here and offers to men forgiveness and the blessings of God’s rule in their hearts and their lives, delivering them from the power of Satan and sin.

The Kingdom of God is an offer, a gift, which may be accepted or rejected. The Kingdom is now here with persuasion rather than with power, and Jesus is the door into all the freedom and blessing that God offers both now in this present age and also in the age to come.

Our encouragement to everyone reading this response is to receive the Good News of the Gospel of God, which is the glorious announcement that God has come in the flesh in the person of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. He gave Himself up on the Cross to taste death for everyone, and all who repent and believe in Him and place their lives under his gracious rule, will never personally have to face the prospect of the final judgment at the end of this age. The Bible calls this “eternal life.”

Today is not the Day of Judgment, “Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

So the message of hope that we as a group of pastors and christian leaders proclaim is simply that God loves Middelburg, and His gracious offer of salvation is still freely on offer for all who would come to him and believe in His name. The message is for everyone, no matter what your background, status, race, language or any other thing.

The message is a simple one, summed up in these words from John’s gospel, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).