Carri Lynne Pratt
The Wrath of God
Today's Reading: Revelation 14:14-20
"The hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the Earth is fully ripe. . .
So the angel swung his sickle across the Earth and gathered the
grape harvest. . . and threw it into the
great winepress of the wrath of God." Rev 14:15 & 19
Many people ask, "If God is Love how can He have wrath?" Let me ask you, if you love your children/spouse can you still have wrath against them? Let's define wrath: "anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy or mean." Do you think mankind has done anything unjust, unworthy or mean against God?
Let us consider the words of Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of all time, about the coming Wrath of God:
"The wrath of man is sometimes very terrible; but what must the wrath of God be like? O dear people, I have tried, these many years, humbly yet earnestly to preach the love of God, and I have never yet reached the height of that great argument, for his love is boundless; but so are all of his attributes; and if you consider any one of them, you must say, “It is so great, that I cannot fully comprehend it.” Therefore the just indignation of God against sin must be commensurate with his absolute purity. A man or a woman may think that right and wrong are mere arbitrary terms, and have no concern when wrong is done; but it is not this way with God; God is infinitely pure and holy and cannot — it is not possible that he can — look upon sin without hatred and disgust and anger. God says, through his servant Jeremiah, “Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!” [Jeremiah 44:4]. God is not indifferent to sin, rather he hates it, and he pleads with men and women not to do it because it is so abominable and so hateful in his sight.
"The wrath of man is sometimes very terrible; but what must the wrath of God be like? O dear people, I have tried, these many years, humbly yet earnestly to preach the love of God, and I have never yet reached the height of that great argument, for his love is boundless; but so are all of his attributes; and if you consider any one of them, you must say, “It is so great, that I cannot fully comprehend it.” Therefore the just indignation of God against sin must be commensurate with his absolute purity. A man or a woman may think that right and wrong are mere arbitrary terms, and have no concern when wrong is done; but it is not this way with God; God is infinitely pure and holy and cannot — it is not possible that he can — look upon sin without hatred and disgust and anger. God says, through his servant Jeremiah, “Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!” [Jeremiah 44:4]. God is not indifferent to sin, rather he hates it, and he pleads with men and women not to do it because it is so abominable and so hateful in his sight.
What will “the coming
wrath” be like? If God barely touches a man or a woman, as it were, with only
his little finger, the strongest must at once fail and fall, the mightiest can
scarcely open their eyes, and the seal of death is quickly imprinted on their
forehead. Now imagine what it will be like when the hand of God will begin to
plague the ungodly, when he will pour out all the vials of his wrath upon them,
and crush them with his power. What will happen to them when God says, “I will
remove my adversaries and severely punish my enemies?” Think, too, what must be
the meaning of that terrible passage of scripture—let me repeat it to you
slowly and solemnly—“Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to
pieces, with none to rescue” [Psalm 50:22] Thus have I faithfully tried to set before you “the coming wrath.” Charles Spurgeon
(Read more @ Flee from the Coming Wrath! October 23, 1881)
Reflection: What do I think the coming Wrath of God will be like?
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