The Wrath Of God – Past And Future

Feature 3 –March 2016 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The
WRATH of GOD
Past and Future

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” —Romans 1:18 KJV

As expressed in our opening verse, wrath is the expression of God’s anger against sin, specifically against ungodliness, unrighteousness and those who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Ungodliness is living one’s life without any reference to God, as if He did not exist. It is acting in selfishness and self-will. Unrighteousness is simply not doing what is right according to God and His standard; not being consistent with Him. Those who “hold the truth in unrighteousness” know something of God and His truth, perhaps even judge others by that truth, and yet do not live out His truth in their lives.

God’s Wrath Seen In The Old Testament
A very striking instance of the wrath of God in the Old Testament is the judgment that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Deuteronomy 29:23 tells us very plainly that the LORD overthrew Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim (four neighboring cities in the plain near the Dead Sea) “in His anger and in His wrath.” “The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” (Gen. 13:13). How solemn that while Abraham walked in separation from this wicked city, Lot pitched his tent towards Sodom (v.12) and eventually was found living in the city and sitting in its gate (19:1). In the Bible, sitting in the gate implies that he had become a part of the leadership of the city (see Ruth 4:1-12). What terrible results followed! His house was assaulted, his thinking was corrupted, he lost his wife, and his own daughters involved him in their godless, evil scheme that would make the world blush (Read Genesis 19). So, as believers today, we should follow Abraham’s example and walk in separation from this “present evil world” (Gal. 1:4).

As a result of Abraham’s intercession and the LORD’s great mercy, Lot was delivered from Sodom, through two angels, just before the judgment fell (Gen. 19:16,29). Abraham, from the secure observation where he had previously communed with the LORD, awoke early in the morning to see the judgment fall upon the cities (Gen. 18:22-23, 19:27-28). Here is the vivid description given in Genesis 19: “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground ... And [Abraham] looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace” (vv.24-25,28).

The Future Day Of Wrath
While we find striking examples of the expression of God’s wrath against sin in the Old Testament, the united testimony of both the Old and New Testaments is that there is a coming “day of wrath” when God’s wrath will be poured out upon the wicked in this world (Job 21:30; Ps. 110:5; Prov. 11:4; Ezek. 17:19; Zeph. 1:15,18; Rom. 2:5; Rev. 6:17). This day of wrath appears to be the same, or at least a part of, the “day of the LORD” (Isa. 13:9-13). Contrary to what we might expect, this future expression of God’s wrath does not point to the lake of fire (though certainly God’s wrath will be seen there), but to the wrath to fall upon the people of this world for their sins and their rejection of His Son.

Consistent with this, John the Baptist said to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to observe his baptism but not take part in it themselves, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Mt. 3:7; Lk. 3:7). There would be wrath coming upon even those who outwardly professed to be the people of God, along with the leaders among them, because there was no reality in their faith. This was fully demonstrated when they rejected their own Messiah, the Lord Jesus. How solemn for those who profess to be Christians today but who have never put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work at the cross of Calvary. May they flee to the Lord Jesus for shelter before this day of wrath comes! Taking part outwardly in Christian activities and meetings will not save anyone from this day of wrath. Only the Lord Jesus saves!

When will this day of wrath come? The Jews experienced God’s judgment upon them at various times, such as the captivity in Babylon and the much later destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70. But we believe the “day of wrath” referred to in the Scriptures above and the “coming wrath” mentioned by John the Baptist are yet future, referring to that time commonly called the “great tribulation.”

Revelation 6:16-17 presents to us the beginning of that day of wrath: “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Here we find that “the great day of His wrath is come.” John the Baptist said that this wrath was coming, but in Revelation, speaking from the perspective of a soon-coming day, we are told that it has come. How solemn and striking that it is “the wrath of the Lamb”!

Beloved fellow believer, it is wonderful that you and I will never know the Lamb in this way! We know the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities (Isa. 53:6). We will soon see Him as that slain Lamb surrounded by the countless multitudes in heaven, all praising and saying, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12). But we will never know the wrath of the Lamb, for He bore that wrath for us.

We Deserved God’s Wrath
It is easy to look at the wicked world around us and see that others are deserving of God’s wrath. But we must see that we deserved it too. We inherited a sin nature from our parents that was passed down from Adam and Eve, so we were born sinners. The Bible says that we were “by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:3), whether Jew or Gentile. It is also true that all have sinned. We committed many sins in our lifetime and “because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6). We deserve wrath because of who we are as sinners, born with a nature at enmity with God, having a hatred for Him. We also deserve wrath because we have committed sins in rebellion and disobedience to God.

Christ Endured God’s Wrath For Us At The Cross
Only the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, was ever born into this world unstained by sin in His nature, and He alone never committed sin in His life. How amazing! In contrast to ourselves, He never spoke a word that would later be regretted, so even His enemies had to say, “Never a man spake like this Man” (Jn. 7:46). There was never an attitude or motive that had to be confessed as sin. His thought life was absolutely pure for He knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21). In His words and actions, He did no sin (1 Pet. 2:22). There was no sin in Him (1 Jn. 3:5), for He is holy. Yet, for us, His own creatures who had been ruined by sin and were under condemnation, fully deserving God’s wrath, the Lord Jesus came to take the judgment that we deserved.

We rightly marvel at a judge who issues a sentence to a criminal and then steps down from his bench to endure the sentence in the criminal’s place. How much more may we marvel at the Son of God, our Creator, and the One whom the Father has appointed to be the judge of all (Jn. 5:22,27), stepping down from heaven to go ultimately to that cross on Calvary’s hill to endure the wrath of God in our place. Quietly consider the following Scriptures that speak of what He has endured for us:

• “Thy wrath lieth hard upon Me, and Thou hast afflicted Me with all Thy waves. Selah” (Ps. 88:7).
• “Thy fierce wrath goeth over Me” (Ps. 88:16).
• “I am the Man that hath seen affliction by the rod of His wrath” (Lam. 3:1).

If anyone reading this article has not yet fled to the Lord Jesus for shelter from the wrath to come, we plead with you, “be ye reconciled to God” while it is still the “accepted time” and the “day of salvation” (2 Cor. 5:20, 6:2). The Word of God assures us that “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (Jn. 3:36). If you have neglected or rejected God’s Son and the full and free salvation God offers you through Him, the wrath of God already abides on you. How solemn a thought! If you do not change course, you will endure God’s wrath that is soon to fall upon this world, and then eternally in the lake of fire in separation from God (Rev. 20:11-15). Flee to Christ while you still may!

For those of us who are resting in the finished work of Christ, well may we join in the words of the hymn writer, “Hallelujah, What a Savior!” He has exhausted the wrath of God that we deserved by taking our place on the cross. He is coming soon as “our Deliverer from the coming wrath” (1 Th. 1:10 JND). Because of Him and His work we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). We enjoy the blessing of eternal life already now, and soon in a far greater way in His own blessed presence. “Even so, come Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20 KJV).

By Kevin Quartell

Man Of Sorrows! Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,In my place condemned He stood,Sealed my pardon with His blood.Hallelujah! What a Saviour!
Guilty, vile and helpless, we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He:
Full atonement – can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Lifted up was He to die,“It is finished” was His cry;Now in heaven, exalted high:Hallelujah! What a Saviour!
When He comes, as Lord and King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing –
Hallelujah! What a Saviour! —Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876)