have it your way?
"But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem...these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land." —1 Maccabees 6:12, 13
Antiochus Epiphanes IV had savagely butchered the people of God. For example, he had killed babies and hung them from the necks of their mothers (1 Mc 1:61). He had militantly imposed the secular Greeks' lifestyle upon the chosen people. He had literally gotten away with murder.
The Lord was willing to die in place of Antiochus. God wanted Antiochus to repent, but he persisted in his sin. So God let Antiochus have his way and reap the wages of sin, that is, death (Rm 6:23). Antiochus "was struck with fear and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed. There he remained many days, overwhelmed with sorrow, for he knew he was going to die" (1 Mc 6:8-9).
"The Lord, indeed, knows how to rescue devout men from trial, and how to continue the punishment of the wicked up to the day of judgment" (2 Pt 2:9). The Lord will also let us have our way, even to eternal damnation. But if we don't accept the justice Jesus accomplished on Calvary, we must suffer the terrible justice of hell. May Jesus' death not be in vain. Accept Him as Your Lord and Savior. Be justified in Him.
Prayer: Jesus, may I not insist on having it my way and going to hell.
Promise: "The children of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those judged worthy of a place in the age to come and of resurrection from the dead do not." —Lk 20:34-35
Praise: Joseph grew in humility and attained a better prayer life during his battle against cancer.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our leaflet, Accepting Jesus as Lord, Savior, and God, or on audio AV 43-1 or video V-43.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 21, 2005
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