The Wrath of God

 

We talked a little last week about the coming time of tribulation that this world is going to experience.  There are many ways this period of time has been described, but one has always stood out to me and that is the time of God’s wrath.  The Word of God teaches those who believe that God’s wrath is certainly something to be feared yet much of the world has little or no regard for God or His words of warning.  As we saw last week, when the world finally gets what it wants, a world with no believers, unimaginable things begin to occur.  The following commentary by Jack Kelley is one that those who do not believe should consider very carefully.

 

The Wrath Of God

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev. 6:16-17).

I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed (Rev. 15:1).

For 20 centuries various forms of the phrase “Wrath of God” brought one image to mind and that was the period of end times judgments that immediately precede the 2nd Coming. But lately it has begun to mean different things to different people. At the same time phrases like the Wrath of the Lamb, the Wrath of Man, and the Wrath of Satan have also crept into the discussion. In addition, some have begun speaking of a period of judgment they call the Wrath of God which is not mentioned in the Bible. They say it comes right after the 2nd Coming. Others have even said the Wrath of God refers to the eternal punishment that follows the Millennium.

So What Is The Wrath Of God?

From the Revelation quotes above we can see that it’s a period of judgment that begins during the seal judgments of Rev. 6 and ends with the bowl judgments of Rev. 16-18. When some form of this phrase appears in the New Testament it’s almost always in reference to the end time judgments.

If that’s the case what are these other so-called periods of wrath we hear about?

The Wrath of the Lamb comes from Rev. 6:16. The very next verse, Rev. 6:17, tells us it’s also God’s Wrath which makes sense because in John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”

The Wrath of Man is a phrase that doesn’t appear in the Bible, but some commentators have used it to describe what has traditionally been called the first four Seal Judgments of Rev. 6, also known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Again, this is part of God’s wrath. The four horsemen symbolize the initial appearance of the anti-Christ and his efforts to gain control of the world through conquest (Rev. 6:2).

The Wrath of Satan comes from the King James version of Rev. 12:12 where Satan is described as having great wrath because he’s been kicked out of heaven and knows he has only a short period of time to accomplish his goal of conquering Earth. His expulsion from heaven will happen at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, shortly before the Bowl judgments that complete God’s Wrath are unleashed against him and his followers. So you see, Satan is not the author of this final series of judgments but is their target. The Greek word used of Satan’s wrath is “thymos” and while it sometimes refers to God’s wrath as well, “orge” is the word normally used in connection with God’s Wrath. The difference between the two words as they’re used here is that God’s wrath is the origin of judgment while Satan’s wrath is the reaction to judgment.  Simply put, people who use the term “Satan’s wrath” are really talking about the Great Tribulation.

The judgments that immediately follow the 2nd coming are described in Matt. 24:45-25:46. They will determine who among the survivors of the Great Tribulation will be welcomed into the Millennial Kingdom on Earth. All unbelieving survivors will be taken off the planet at that time. The 2nd Coming, the judgments of Matt. 24-25 and preparations for the Kingdom Age will be completed in the first 75 days from the end of the Great Tribulation (Daniel 12:12).  No portion of this time is ever referred to in the Bible as the time of God’s Wrath.  It’s only done by pre-wrath rapture advocates.

The same is true of the Great White Throne judgment of Rev. 20:11-15. At the end of the Millennium the unbelieving dead from all ages will be gathered for their final judgment. Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternal punishment. The Great White throne judgment is never referred to as God’s Wrath in the Bible.  Some people who don’t believe in the pre-trib rapture this in an effort to deny Paul’s promises in  Romans 5:9, 1 Thes. 1:10, and 1 Thes. 5:9 that the Church would not be present for the time of God’s wrath.

From these and other passages we can safely conclude that New Testament references to God’s Wrath overwhelmingly describe a specific period of judgment upon the post rapture world, beginning early in Daniel’s 70th Week and ending just before the 2nd Coming. His Wrath consists of three named sets of judgments and and possibly an additional one that God has kept secret.

Three Sets Of Judgments

The first set of named judgments is called the Seal judgments because they occur as Jesus opens seven seals on a scroll the Father will hand Him. They’re described in Rev. 6 as a period of time beginning with the perception that peace has come to Earth and ending with the realization that God’s Wrath has begun. In writing about this time Paul said, “When people are saying ‘peace and safety’ destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thes. 5:3). The first six Seal Judgments will bring war, famine, plague and death to 1/4th of the world along with massive martyring of post rapture believers.

The seventh Seal is not a judgment in and of itself but introduces the second named series, called the Trumpet Judgments (Rev. 8:4-9:21). As seven angels blow their trumpets in turn, the sound of each trumpet will introduce another judgment. This series of judgments will combine natural with supernatural attacks upon humanity and by the time they’re finished a third of the earth’s forests and fields will be ablaze, a third of the sea creatures will have died, a third of Earth’s water supply will have been contaminated, and a third of the people who survived the seal judgments will have died.

After the sixth Trumpet judgment an unnamed event will be visited upon the Earth. At a signal from a mighty angel seven thunders will speak, and although John was forbidden from telling us what they will say, scholars speculate that it might be an unannounced judgment of some kind (Rev. 10:1-4). This is the secret God has kept that I mentioned above.

The blowing of the 7th Trumpet will announce the commencement of the Lord’s reign over Planet Earth (Rev. 11:15-18). War in Heaven will result in the permanent expulsion of Satan and his angels (Rev. 12:7-12). Having been confined to Earth, Satan will indwell his man, the anti-Christ, and will cause him to announce from the Temple in Israel that he is God (2 Thes. 2:4). Jesus said this will kick off the Great Tribulation, the worst disaster the world ever has or ever will suffer. He warned the Jewish people who will be living in Israel at the time to immediately flee for their lives (Matt. 24:15-21).

This will take place in the middle of Daniel’s 70th Week and at this point the full force of God’s wrath will be loosed upon Satan and his followers in the final series of judgments (Rev. 16-18). They’re called the Bowl judgments because they’re symbolized by angels pouring out seven bowls of God’s Wrath upon the Earth. The power of these judgments and the devastation they cause is beyond description. Jesus was correct in saying that if He didn’t stop them at the appointed time, not a single human being would survive (Matt. 24:22).

I believe one effect of these judgments will be to complete the demolition phase of the Earth’s restoration, which Jesus spoke of in Matt. 19:28, Peter confirmed in Acts 3:21 and John described in Rev. 21:1. For example Revelation 16:16-21 speaks of the worst earthquake the world has ever experienced causing every mountain to fall down, islands to disappear, and the cities of the nations to be destroyed, while 100 lb. hailstones bombard the Earth. Believe me when I say you wouldn’t wish this on your worst enemy.

Much of the world’s remaining population will die during this time, but because of it the Earth will be ready for restoration to the condition it was in when Adam was created. This will happen at the time of the 2nd Coming (Acts 3:21).

What About Us?

Paul made it clear that the Church will not be present on Earth during any of this time of judgment. In Romans 5:9  Paul said, “Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s Wrath through it?”   In 1 Thes. 1:10 he wrote that Jesus will rescue us from the coming wrath. (The Greek word translated from in both these verses refers to both the time and place of the coming wrath, so we won’t be present when it happens and we won’t be present where it happens.)  He will do this because God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 5:9).

If you believe you’re a sinner, but that God sent His Son to die for your sins, and if you’ve accepted His death as having paid their full penalty, then you won’t have to face any of these judgments. One day soon, you’ll disappear with the rest of us and will be in Heaven with the Lord while all this is happening on Earth.

You’ll see that your decision to believe in what the Lord did for you was the defining moment of your life and you will understand that it made you into one of the world’s ultimate winners. You’ll realize this is what God always intended for you to do and you’ll know why the Heavenly Host is erupting into joyous celebration as you come into the presence of the Lord. If you listen carefully you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 09-28-13

https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/the-wrath-of-god/

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner,  be willing to turn away from your sins, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control  your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;

 

Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

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When "They" Get What "They" Want

 

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”  Romans 11:25  NKJV

When the subject of the events which have transpired since the start of 2020 is raised, an adjective which is being used more and more lately to describe the state of our nation is the word “divisive”.  Unfortunately for us as a society, it seems to have escaped notice that one of the world’s oldest strategies for achieving victory in any conflict is “divide and conquer”.  While many might argue the point, it seems perfectly obvious to me that the author of the divisiveness running rampant in our country today is none other than Satan, and his agenda is succeeding spectacularly.

There will be those who would call this an oversimplification, but if we choose to accept that this fight is spiritual in nature it follows that there exists only two sides; believers and non-believers, us and them.  That said, how often have you heard an argument lately where someone uses the pronoun “they”?  Most often, it seems, I hear it used such as “they” want us to do this, or “they” want us to believe such and such.  Of course, let’s not forget the most common usage; “they want to control us”!  While I will leave the identification of who “they” are to you, for the purpose of this discussion we will simply consider there exist only the two sides mentioned above, and I think the Bible makes it clear that eventually, “they” get what “they” want. 

“When does that happen” you ask?  As believers, I think most would agree that it occurs after the rapture of the Church, when all true believers in Jesus Christ are instantaneously removed from this earth to meet with the Lord in the air and go to live with Him in our heavenly home for all of eternity.  As revealed by Paul in the passage above, that event occurs when the full number of believers is arrived at, and the Church in God’s eyes is complete.  At that point in time, the Church is taken, the “restrainer” or Holy Spirit is removed as well, and “they” are left behind to experience the world "they" have always wanted.

“When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”  Revelation 6:3-4  NKJV

Utopia: an ideal place or state, or an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.

Dystopia: a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

It might sound odd, but at that instant in time, believers get what they want, and those left behind get what they want.  The problem though, is that while believers are rewarded with indescribable riches and eternal happiness with our Lord and Jesus Christ, instead of the utopia “they” expect, “they” are rewarded with a dystopian world of unimaginable sorrow.  While “they” ignore if not outright disbelieve what the Bible has to say about what happens on this earth after the rapture, the picture God paints of life when “they” get what “they” want is one which no one in their right mind would want to be a part of.

According to the passage above, the very first result of the rapture is that peace is removed and violence of almost unimaginable severity begins to occur.  Rather than rejoicing that believers have somehow disappeared, “they” begin to kill each other off.

“When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”  Revelation 6:5-6  NKJV

Most scholars agree that what we are told in these verses is that inflation runs rampant.  The economic system we enjoy now somehow disappears and “they” will have to spend an entire day’s wages to purchase enough food for just one day.

“When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”  Revelation 6:7-8  NKJV

Here we are told that the next result will be famine, obviously resulting in violence as people are willing to kill in order to survive, which certainly makes sense considering how expensive food will be.  Most commentaries also consider the death that follows in this passage is a result of global pestilence, which seems entirely logical taking into account what conditions are going to be like. Those same conditions, apparently, cause the beasts of the earth to turn on humans and see them as a source of food for survival. 

“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”  Revelation 6:15-17  NKJV

Most of us are familiar with the expression “have, and have not’s”, but it would appear in this passage that rich or poor, powerful or weak, everyone is going to be affected in such a way as to try and hide as best they can in order to escape what takes place in the world at this moment in time.

“And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”  Matthew 24:22  NKJV

Some have taken the position that Jesus is saying here that the period we know as the tribulation is shortened from the seven year length revealed to us elsewhere in the Bible.  My thought here is that, rather, because He is responding to the disciples questions concerning the end of the “age” what He is saying is that God cuts short this period of time at seven years.  I believe the reason is clear. If God did not stop the tribulation after seven years and allowed this age to proceed, eventually man would simply cease to exist as “they” would sooner or later kill themselves off.

In years past, when I have taught on the book of Revelation, a common reaction was disbelief that the world could degenerate to the point where these events could occur.  Maybe in the past that position could be considered understandable, but my question to you today is have you watched the news lately?  This world is willingly being led down a path by Satan that has only one end.  Unfortunately, the sad result is that in the end, “they” get what “they” want.

Keep watching.

 

God's Season of Judgment

 

 

As always as we approach this time of the year, there begins a lot of speculation concerning the rapture of the church, and if it might occur on one of the Feast Days celebrated in Israel. This year, unfolding as it has, certainly has more people speculating on this possibility more than in the past.  To be completely truthful, I don’t blame them a bit and the way things are going, I think the possibility of the Church going home in the near future is just about as certain as growing old.

Now if you have followed my thoughts for any length of time, I’m sure you understand that I am a believer in what is called the doctrine of imminence, or the belief that Jesus could return for us at any time and not necessarily on one of the Jewish Holy Days. There is, however, something I would like to share with you for your consideration that might just give us a clue as to just how close we might be to our time of departure.

One of the reasons many look to the feast days is the amazing occurrence of numerous major events in Israel’s history which have taken place on those particular days over the past 5000 years. It would seem that God, by intent, has chosen to reveal Himself by orchestrating events to occur on the anniversary of many special days throughout Israel’s calendar. Since these occurrences are, according to the odds, almost impossible it would seem that we are faced with the inescapable conclusion that not only is God at work, but He uses certain days to do certain things. Does this seem hard to believe? If so, we might look at that question in light of the following passage.

"For I [am] the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Malachi 3:6 NKJV

If we consider that God Himself tells us that He does not change, and we know He has chosen to act throughout history on the anniversary of certain events, is it logical to assume that He will again do so in the future? I think we can, and I want to share a thought with you today concerning the end time events many of us see, and the possibility that the time of Jacobs’ Trouble might be just around the corner.

However, rather than discussing the rapture of the church, I want to draw your attention to the period of time we know as the Tribulation. In the Old Testament we find that God gave a prophecy to his servant Daniel concerning the future of Israel which is known as the Seventy Weeks of Daniel. In it God predicts that following the release of the nation of Israel from their Babylonian captivity, a period of seventy “weeks of years” would occur. The word for “weeks” literally means a period of seven years, so what was being said was that Israel’s future history would be contained in a period of four hundred and ninety years.

He also foretold that after the first sixty nine weeks the Messiah would come but be rejected, and an indeterminate period of time would occur between the sixty ninth week and the seventieth week. Not surprising, the length of time between the release of the Jews from Babylon, and the entry into Jerusalem by Jesus of Nazareth on Palm Sunday was exactly four hundred and eighty three years. So where we are today is waiting for the beginning of the seventieth week of Daniel, also known as the Tribulation, when God will judge the unbelieving world along with unbelieving Israel for a period of seven years.

The question I want you to think about though is this; based on what we have already seen, is it possible we might already have a clue as to when the Tribulation might begin?

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world [that] then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth [which] are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2 Peter 3:5-7 NKJV

What Peter tells us here is simple enough; the world will experience the judgment of God twice. The first was by water, which was as we know the flood of Noah, and a second time by fire which will be during the period known as the Tribulation. In light of what we are discussing, the next question is do we know when the flood of Noah occurred? If we look closely at the Genesis account we find this;

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Genesis 7:11 NKJV

This passage tells us that the flood began precisely on the seventeenth of Cheshvan, the second month of the Jewish civil calendar. Many of you know the fall feasts occur during the first month, Tishri, beginning with Rosh Hashanah or by another name, the Feast of Trumpets. As the Jewish calendar is lunar rather than solar, each month begins with the first sighting of the new moon. Depending on when the new moon is sighted, the anniversary of Noah’s flood usually occurs around the end of October on our calendar.

Now considering the fact we know that God has allowed many events to occur on the same day of the year throughout history, and He has clearly stated that He does not change, is it possible that by knowing the exact day the flood began we can assume the next judgment of the world could begin on the anniversary of the first judgment? I believe our answer to that could certainly be “why not”? It would follow the pattern that God has already established, and might, in light of other passages of scripture, be logical when we know that Jesus talked of His return at the end of the age by referring to the time of Noah and the flood.

In light of the state of the world right now, and the events which many believe are building up to an "apocalyptical" type of event, is it possible we are fast approaching the beginning of that period of time which the Bible tells us so much about? It would probably not surprise anyone who makes it a point to study current events with regards to biblical prophecy, yet as we have seen in the past, the patience of God towards His people could best be described as longsuffering. Yet even God has foreordained a point in time when His judgment will fall on an unbelieving world, and as many believe, it could be very close.

An obvious question that follows from this discussion would then be, if you subscribe to the pretribulational rapture of the church, how close to the beginning of the Tribulation could the rapture occur?  Opinions on that question are numerous and at times contentious, but as I have mentioned before, one of Chuck Missler’s favorite sayings about the rapture was “when you see the Christmas decorations going up, you know Thanksgiving is near”.  After all that has happened in the first eight months of this year, my mind is certain that we are witnessing exactly what Chuck was referring to.

 

Today we find ourselves in a situation that most of us would call unprecedented, and many are looking at the events of the past eight months and asking the question why are we still here? My question to you today is this.  Just how close do you believe the rapture of the Church is on God’s calendar?  If you believe like many others, it could be right around the corner. That nearness, however, also prompts me to ask you this question. If you have come to this point in your life and not made a decision to accept the free gift of salvation offered to you by our Savior Jesus Christ, don't you think it would be a good idea to do it now?

 

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”   John 1:12  NKJV

 

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