THE JUDGMENT AND WRATH OF GOD, SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED?

      THE JUDGMENT AND WRATH OF GOD, SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED?

 There is sometimes confusion and questions regarding this subject among Christians, and perhaps most points are valid. We must always be careful with any level of assumption or presumption in any point of view, especially regarding the Word of God. With the growing End Time trend toward the spirit of lawlessness in the world and the deceitfulness of sin, we must be ever on our guard and never lightly regard the covenant of our Salvation and the fierceness of the spiritual war that is engulfing the entire world. "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:34-36

   I would like to try and unravel here some of the confusion among us as Christians regarding the WRATH OF GOD and HIS JUDGMENTS and where our place is concerning both.

THE CHRISTIAN AND THE WRATH OF GOD

 "For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. " 1 Thessalonians 5:9. "But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Romans 5:8-10).  As our Sunday Schools teach, Jesus Christ bore God's wrath against our sins for us on the cross. Just payment was made in full! So the Wrath of God was satisfied for every individual who receives Him. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and repent, the blood He shed purges us of our sins; we are cleansed, forgiven, and accepted of God our Heavenly Father. Our sin provoked God's wrath, and His judgment required punishment and death. At the cross of Christ at Calvary, God's wrath for our sins was poured out on Him. Payment was made in full, His sacrifice was accepted, and He thus rose from the dead. That was the end of our debt, and for us, a new beginning. So in Christ Jesus, the Wrath of God is no longer awaiting us.

 THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD AND THE WRATH OF GOD

 The wrath of God is God's vengeance on and to put an end to evil. That can include complete destruction and/or the ultimate endless punishment in the Lake of Fire. PLEASE NOTE - The wrath of God is never without the just judgment of God. His wrath is not an emotional outburst of anger, but a just and calculated retribution after patient endurance of unrepentant evil. If you will notice in the Book of Revelation, from the beginning of God's Judgments against man's unrepentant behavior, with the seven seals and then the seven trumpets, the people still would not repent. "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of god, and of silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (20-21). So we see here that even in His severe Judgments, there is always an open door for our repentance and change of heart and direction; however, if we do not, then there is a wrath with no open door for repentance. "And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.'" Revelation 16:1. By the way, this is the judgment of God, and the wrath of God in our world. But Revelation 20:10-15 is the Great White Throne Judgment, which is Eternal Judgment and the final judgment with God's wrath - no second chance, just unending punishment for refusing good and choosing evil.

WHAT IS THEIR RELEVANCE TO THE DISCIPLE OF JESUS?

 In Christ, we need not fear the wrath of God because Jesus took the payment for our sins, but we had better learn to fear the judgments of God, and let's look at why. "My flesh trembles for fear of You; and I am afraid of Your judgments." Psalm 119:120

"Every man's way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." Proverbs 21:2

THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD

 The Judgments of God may be synonymous with the wrath of God in execution, but may have a different end objective with redemptive and restorative purpose in mind. The judgments of God that I am referring to here are for the purpose of cleansing, purifying, reforming, surgically removing, liberating... Let's look at some examples.

 Adam and Eve are the first example of God's judgment against their sin (disobedience), but it also became the setting for His plan of Redemption. The penalty was/is severe, but not excessive compared to the evil procured by the fallout of sin. "But of the tree of the knowledge  of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die." Genesis 2: 17. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. God's judgment rescued us from endless sinfulness.

Noah's Flood - When God saw that the wickedness of man was great and that every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually, He regretted that He made us. The earth was corrupt and filled with violence. It needed to be cleaned up, but we were not to be destroyed completely. He found an upright man who fit into His plan of redemption through whom He could give us a fresh beginning. Wrath is not mentioned here, likely because of the complete ignorance of mankind at the time. Nevertheless, the corruption was so severe that it had to be wiped away. It could not continue the way it was heading. Genesis 6

Sodom and Gomorrah - Again, we find out-of-control immoral behavior, which is not only sin and evil, but ends in cruelty. The Lord had to surgically remove the corruption, and He did so in a devastating manner. Jude explained why. "Even Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication/gross immorality, and going after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Jude 7. This judgment was not necessarily their Eternal Judgment as individuals, because Jesus said, "...for if the mighty works, which have been done in you (Capernaum), had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for you." Matthew 11:23-24. Regarding God's judgment here, we can see the severity against the wickedness of man, but He is also taking into account the blindness and ignorance of the people involved. Meaning His judgment on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was not His final judgment on all the individuals involved because the secret counsels of their hearts were not being judged at that time (Romans 2:16), only their actions that needed to be stopped. We see a principle: our behavior may invite God's judgment during our life; though it may be severe (depending on the need), it does not reflect the judgment of their heart. That is for that Day. 

SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED AS A CITY, REGION, NATION?

YES!!! But not out of fear, but out of responsibility! Whatever happens to one sector of society will affect everyone connected. As we share in the benefits of any community, we also share in its hardships. What is more, for us as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, our heart's concern is for the welfare and salvation of the people among whom we live. We are Jesus' servants for them. How we care for our society is how we care for ourselves: prayer (for the individuals, the people as a whole, and the leaders) and upright, godly living. "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." Proverbs 14:34

We are going to look at some very serious verses in the Bible on these subjects: 

"...If a calamity occurs in a city, has not the Lord done it? Amos 3:6 NAS

GOD IS NOT PETTY, VENDICTIVE, CRUEL, OR UNJUST - BUT HE WILL DEAL WITH EVIL

 As I addressed this in "FACING DANGERS AND DISASTERS," the Lord is actually the One Who protects us ("...except the Lord keep the city, the watchman walks in vain." Psalms 127:1). So if a disaster strikes our city, we need to ask why, and what can we do to prevent it. There will always be someone we blame, like the city engineers and so on, but what is the Lord addressing, and where are we responsible?

WHEN A LINE HAS BEEN CROSSED

 "Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of His sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon." 2 Kings 24:3-4 

 Manasseh, aside from all the corruption and idolatry, wholeheartedly promoted infant sacrifice. He crossed an unpardonable line by filling Jerusalem with innocent blood.

 Israel and Judah's iniquity stemmed from their very early days of constant sliding into idolatry. God's final judgment through the Babylonian invasion once and for all cured that habit in Israel, but at a brutally high price.

DOES GOD'S JUDGMENT ONLY AFFECT THE WICKED?

 "And to the land of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord; behold I am against you, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: that all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath. It shall not return any more.'" Ezekiel 21:3-5

  We know to this day that both Christians and non-Christians die in disasters. This word of the Lord is concerning in that at this stage of His judgment and wrath, even though He is acknowledging the righteous, yet in the wave of His judgment there was to be no separation between them and the wicked. Both are destined to perish. Now there are extenuating circumstances we can point out here. In Ezekiel 9:4, the Lord tells a type of angel to mark on the foreheads all the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that were being done in the city, then destroy the rest, beginning at His sanctuary. When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded with the Lord, "...Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?... Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right?" Genesis 18:23, 25. Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to the point where the Lord would spare the cities for the sake of ten righteous people. In the end, He had the angels remove Lot's family who would cooperate. In the book of Revelation 18:4, the Lord calls His people to flee from the city Babylon so that they be not partakers of her sins or receive her plagues.                                So the Lord does warn His people and does make a way for us to escape His judgments in a corrupt world, but we must obey. Also, notice how Abraham interceded for the people, and God did spare as much as possible. We need to intercede for our nations while there is still hope. Unlike Lot's sons-in-law, and eventually Lot's wife, who tarried and were destroyed, we must be humble enough to listen and be obedient to flee when the Lord tells us.

  HOW MUCH CAN THE RIGHTEOUS DO IN THE DAYS OF GOD'S WRATH?

"Son of man, when the land sins against Me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out My hand upon it, and will break the staff of bread thereof, and will send famine...wild beasts...sword...pestilence into that land, and pour out My fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter, they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness." Ezekiel 14:13-20

  Dear friends, this is a huge warning from the Lord about the state of any land that becomes filled with corruption. Noah, Daniel, and Job were perhaps the best examples of righteousness and godliness in the Old Testament, but even they could not save their children from God's wrath by their righteousness, only themselves, as stated. This means that almost everyone is defiled by gross wickedness unless every individual is earnestly diligent to not partake of the corruption that surrounds us. Yet, at the same time, not allow our hearts to become hardened and unloving toward anyone. Oh, how we need to be clothed in the humility and love of Jesus!

 CHRISTIANS AND GOD'S JUDGMENTS & WHY WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED IN OUR OWN LIVES

  There is a lot we can discuss about this, but I will just bring out a few. We need to take the Lord seriously about His judgment in our lives on regular matters.

CARELESSNESS WITH THE HOLY -    Paul points out the seriousness of not being careless with the holy things of God. In this case, he refers to Communion, where some people became sickly and even some died for taking it in an unworthy manner. Please notice, he reveals the purpose of God's judgment. "But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."  1 Corinthians 11:32. His judgments are for our own ultimate good. 

DISHONESTY - Ananias and his wife Sapphira lied to the Lord about a gift they promised to give. It cost them their lives (Acts 5:1-11). By this, the Lord demonstrated how seriously He takes our commitments to Him. Now, He doesn't perhaps judge us like that every time we may fail, and we do fail, but we need to understand how seriously He takes our commitments. That is why Jesus said to just let our "Yes" be yes, and our "No" be no (Matthew 5:37).

TOUCHING GOD'S ANOINTED - INCLUDES AUTHORITIES & PARENTS (AND SPEAKING EVIL OF NO ONE). This is so very serious with God. I have seen people suffer severely for this, and myself almost. "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resist the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." Romans 13:1-2. Someone very dear to me kept railing on the TV evangelists, and sometimes there was a just argument. But, as time went on, she became more vicious. At one point while she was spouting off against them, the Lord spoke to me and said, "This time she has gone too far." The following year, almost to the date, she was struck with severe ailments and nearly died. She never spoke like that again, even though she still had a hard time with some of their activities and ways. We all have our complaints. Obviously, just because we are not to speak evil of authorities does not mean that we have to agree or like everything they say or do. They are God's servants (including our parents), and He is the One who will judge them and deal with them. Our duty is to pray for them.  1 Timothy 2:1-3.

DON'T JUSTIFY WHAT GOD CALLS SIN -  "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable (depraved), and murderers, whoremongers (sexually immoral), and sorcerers (from the Greek word- pharmakeus/potions or drugs), and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the Lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Revelation 21:8   

 I was a new believer in Jesus by reading the Sermon on the Mount, but that was all, and I wasn't going to church anywhere. I finally met a Christian about my age, and he challenged me to go to church and read the Bible, which I did both, reluctantly. When I finally got to the verse above, I noticed that I was on that list. I thought that it couldn't be; I believed in Jesus and loved Him with my whole heart. "I am not hurting anyone," was my opinion. Right then I had to decide who was right, the Bible or me. Logically, I knew it was the Bible. So I repented. And when I did, my eyes were opened, and the terror hit me of how precariously dangerous I was walking. 

  Dear friends, if you are on that list, or any other that the Bible points out, I urge you by the love and grace of God to take His Word seriously and flee to Him in complete repentance. The only regret you will have is if you don't. 

If you are not already there, I pray that this study will help you grab hold of the purpose of God in your life and that you will abound in fruitfulness for His glory. May the Lord be with you all!