BIBLE / PROPHECY / DESTRUCTION
Wake up! Wake up!
Get up, O Jerusalem!
You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you,
which was full of his anger.
You drained dry
the goblet full of intoxicating wine.
There was no one to lead her
among all the children she bore;
there was no one to take her by the hand
among all the children she raised.
These double disasters confronted you.
But who feels sorry for you?
Destruction and devastation,
famine and sword.
But who consoles you?
Your children faint;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a snare.
They are left in a stupor by the Lord’s anger,
by the battle cry of your God.
- Isaiah 51:17-22, New English Translation (NET2)
The idea behind this short passage is simple: if you betray God, there will be terrible consequences for your betrayal.
One huge message of both the Old and New Testaments that is constantly overlooked, because it's so grim, is that God does pay you back for your rebellion against him, and it's a terrible price to pay.
Perhaps the best way to understand the concept of sin, is to simply call it rebellion against God. God does not punish rebellion immediately, but when the rebellion is continuous, then expect Him to discipline you.
- Pseudo Boethius