Wrath Revisited

 12.30.11

Revelation 15.1 1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” NIV

In the ancient account of Israel’s exodus from Egypt there were ten plagues of increasing intensity that the Lord sent upon Egypt to convince her king to let His people go. Finally after the tenth plague, the plague of the death of the firstborn, Egypt’s king, Pharaoh, relented and released the Israelites. (Then in bitterness and anger he changed his mind and pursued them to his death… sometimes guys just don’t get it.)

In Revelation 15 there are seven plagues released upon the earth. These are called the Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath. Wrath is a mysterious thing to me and it is not to be trifled with. Wrath is the result of God’s unchanging mind in judgment. And once He has crossed that line in His mind, there is no reversing it: God doesn’t change His mind. He may delay His wrath, but He never changes His mind.

For what it’s worth to you, seven is the number of completion (or perfection). That’s why the voice from the Temple (verse 17) says, “It is done!” The sad reality is that men in their rebellious stubbornness [curse] God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. They refuse to repent. Pharaoh refused to repent. People refuse to repent.

You see, life really is what it is; it’s full of whatever it brings; and it never changes until it’s over. Life has its ups and downs but life is what it is. The only thing that makes life, or breaks life, is the presence or absence of God in a person’s life. And God is in hot pursuit of every person on earth so that they can experience His presence. Some will buy and some will refuse. The ones who refuse, lose. It’s that simple.

God’s wrath is not vindictive. God doesn’t inflict wrath capriciously. He doesn’t blow His top. His wrath is just and righteous. His wrath is the faultless response of His righteous indignation against people who refuse His love. That may sound selfish, but only to the mind that holds that God is only just some greater version of us…Man 3.1. How lame! God is as perfect in His wrath as He is in His love. His wrath is ridiculed by men because they try to use His expression of His wrath as an accusation that He doesn’t really love: if You have to resort to wrath, they reason then You don’t really love. The madness of men!

It appears God’s wrath is given in stages and not all at once. It appears God’s wrath is revealed in nature and in our environment. It appears God’s wrath has the intention of showing man the devastation that occurs in his soul for refusing God’s righteousness. It appears that God’s wrath is intended to point toward repentance and mercy for those who experience it. It appears God’s wrath is the end of the road for those who refuse God’s love.

In John 3, is this verse: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (v 36) It appears there are only two places for a human being to find himself: saved from God’s wrath… or under God’s wrath. And belief in Him is the only remedy for salvation from His wrath. Where do we stand today?