14:17-20
We now get two further examples. First is God saying that if he sends the sword, then these three righteous men would do nothing to save the city, not even their own sons and daughters. Only the righteous men themselves would be saved. The last example is of God sending a plague, with the same message, though this time the men’s names are given again. But Jerusalem refused to believe the Lord, they refused to acknowledge their sin and their need to repent. Today we are no better. We will do anything to avoid facing up to the fact that God is a God of judgement, and that our sin merits judgement. The real tragedy is that if we did repent then we would receive eternal life.
14:21-23
The four judgements, sword, famine, wild beasts and plagues, would kill the people and the animals. This would be terrible, but even so, there would be some survivors. Some sons and daughters would be brought out of the destruction. Even in judgement God is merciful. But note the majority did not survive, just in case someone is tempted to see justification for a universalist approach. And then see the reason why God was going to spare some! It was so that the exiles would see that God’s judgement was just, it was not done without cause. I have said this many times before, and will say it again. The “problem of hell” is not a problem at all. At the final judgement everyone will see that God’s judgements are true and perfectly just. The only sensible answer to the “problem of hell” is to repent!
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