9. Fallen Man Is Now Under the Wrath of God
Though this was touched upon above, it is a subject that needs to be explored more fully from the Word of God. In our day, when one proclaims the wrath of God against sin, he is labeled and ridiculed by many as a "hell-fire and damnation" preacher, because he represents God as One who hates sin, Who dares to punish sinners with the consequences of eternal judgment in Hell. It has certainly never been a popular subject, and it is sad but true that most modern-day pulpits are largely silent on this matter of great importance. Many of those ministers who do occasionally mention it, do so almost apologetically, as if the Divine wrath is a blotch or blemish on the character of God. Many have failed to follow Christ's example in their preaching -- a study of the Gospels will reveal that the blessed Saviour had more to say about Judgment and Hell than He had to say about the Love of God and Heaven. They might also heed Paul's example in this matter, who said in Acts 20:27, "For I have not shunned to declare to you the WHOLE COUNSEL of God" -- and a study of his writings will show that he presented a balanced message containing both the love of God and the wrath of God. My friend, it is true that the compassionate, loving heart of God still cries out unto men and women today as He did long ago,
"As I live, saith the Lord God, I HAVE NO PLEASURE in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11).
And did not the Lord Jesus Himself weep over the city of Jerusalem, knowing the judgment of God that would soon fall upon them, because, as a whole, they had rejected Him, their promised Messiah (Luke 19:41-44)? If God Himself takes no pleasure in the punishment of sinners, then neither should anyone else take pleasure in the prospects of the eternal punishment of the lost. But, on the other hand, we must also be true to God's Word, which clearly sets forth both "the goodness AND the severity of God" (Romans 11:22). God's love is not some frothy, sentimental passion which overrides moral distinctions; rather, His love is a HOLY LOVE, encompassing a HOLY WRATH against sin.
What is the wrath of God, and what does the Bible mean when it speaks of His wrath? We might say that it is the holiness and righteousness of God in action. God's wrath is God manifesting His eternal detestation of all unrighteousness, according to Romans 1:18, "For the WRATH OF GOD is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in un-righteousness..." God's wrath is His expression of displeasure against sin, His indignation against evil, according to Psalms 34:16, "The face of the Lord is AGAINST those who do evil, to CUT OFF the remembrance of them from the earth." And, according to Psalms 7:11, "God is ANGRY with the wicked every day." In a prayer of Moses, recorded in the Psalms, we find these words: "Who knows the power of Thine anger, even according to Thy fear, so is THY WRATH" (Psalms 90:11). God's infinite holiness and justice demand retribution and wrath against sin. How could He, who delights only in that which is pure and holy, not also loathe and hate that which is evil? It is not necessary to defend the character of God, or to make apologies for God's eternal wrath and judgment upon sin. Those who imagine that God could never be angry, that He is only an all-loving, all-merciful God who would never send anyone to Hell, give evidence of their utter spiritual blindness, and a warped, twisted, and distorted view of God. Wrath against sin is just as much a perfection of God's character as is His love and mercy.
There is considerably more written in the Holy Scriptures about the wrath of God than there is about the love of God, as a survey of any Bible concordance will reveal.
JOHN THE BAPTIST preached not only the sovereign authority and Lordship of Christ, but he also preached the FEARFUL STATE of all men everywhere who are not believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ:
"The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but THE WRATH OF GOD abides on him" (John 3:35-36).
According to John 1:1,14, the LORD JESUS CHRIST is the Word of God, or the Word made flesh. As the Word of the Living God, He came down from Heaven to make known unto us the heart and mind of the invisible God. But He came not only to reveal the love, mercy, and grace of God, but also to reveal God's holiness and justice. Therefore, my friend, when He speaks on the subject of the judgment and wrath of the holy God against stout-hearted sinners who will not turn to Him in repentance and faith, we had better listen and take heed! Woe be unto us if we ignore or tone down His message! The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is GOD'S LOVE PERSONIFIED (John 3:16), also gave faithful warning to His hearers concerning the judgment and the wrath of God. Listen to His words, in Luke 12:4-5,
"And I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you Whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to CAST INTO HELL; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"
And describing the final state of impenitent, lost sinners, the Lord Jesus spoke these words:
"These shall go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT..." (Matthew 25:46).
In a fiery, yet compassionate, sermon preached to a group of self-righteous religionists (Matthew 23), the Lord Jesus pronounced woe after woe upon them, exposed their hypocrisy, and then spoke these words in their ears, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, HOW CAN YOU ESCAPE THE DAMNATION OF HELL?" (Matthew 23:33). My friend, I don't think He whispered, and I don't think He was smiling. Do these words seem unkind to you? Let us not forget that the One who spoke these words, the Master Soul-Winner, voluntarily sacrificed His own life in order to save those who crucified Him! (See Acts 2:22-24,36-40; Luke 23:34) This message, though stern, was balanced with compassion, for only a few verses later, you can feel His compassion and sense His tears (for Christ's tears of compassion, see also Luke 19:41-44), when He said to these same people, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ye were not willing!" (Matthew 23:37)
Before His ascension into Heaven to the right hand of the Father, our Lord commanded His disciples in these words: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that BELIEVETH and is baptized shall be SAVED; but he that BELIEVETH NOT shall be DAMNED" (Mark 16:15-16). Equal emphasis should be placed upon the latter part of that statement, as upon the first part. See also the words of Christ recorded in Matthew 5:29; 18:9. And especially in Luke 16:19-31, where the Lord Jesus gives a GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION of the sufferings of a lost, doomed, damned soul in Hell. My friend, this is as much a part of the Word of God as John 3:16! Surely our Lord is not playing with words here! Why would the blessed Saviour use such descriptive language of the awful sufferings of Hell, unless He meant to convey a warning to all of us, out of His great compassionate heart of love, of the severity of the righteous judgment of His holy Father against sinners who refuse to repent, seeking pardon and forgiveness by believing the Gospel?
And finally, my friend, it is the One who still bears the scars of Calvary upon Him, the Crucified, Risen, Exalted and Glorified Lord Jesus Christ, who will speak those terrible words to lost sinners recorded in Matthew 25:41,
"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING FIRE, prepared for the Devil and his angels."
THE APOSTLE PAUL was motivated to proclaim to all men the good news of God's love and mercy revealed in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ because he had a keen awareness of God's holy wrath against sin. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:11,
"Knowing, therefore, the TERROR OF THE LORD, we persuade men."
And writing to the Thessalonian believers about the glorious return of the Lord Jesus, Paul wrote,
"When the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire TAKING VENGEANCE on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. THESE SHALL BE PUNISHED WITH EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power."
The APOSTLE JOHN, in the last book of the Bible, describes the final doom of all lost sinners of Adam's race who die out of Christ, who are not sheltered from the storm of God's holy wrath beneath the shed blood of the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ,
"And death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire" (Revelation 20:14-15).
Now, my friend, in concluding this section, let us pause briefly to reflect upon the most awesome display of the holy wrath of God the universe has ever witnessed, or ever shall witness, far surpassing that which shall be displayed in the punishment of sinners in Hell, or the Lake of Fire. It took place 2,000 years ago on Mount Calvary, on Golgotha's Hill, outside the city of Jerusalem, when "[God] spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all" (Romans 8:32) -- when the Lord Jesus Christ, out of a compassionate heart of love for lost, guilty, Hell-deserving sinners, voluntarily surrendered His life, and "bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (I Peter 2:24), as He cried out, in great agony of soul, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46).
It was there, my dear friend, that the holy, sinless Son of God voluntarily took unto Himself the FULL STROKE of God's justice and holy wrath that would have fallen upon every believer (John 10:11, 15-18), suffering and dying in our stead, in our behalf (Romans 5:6-10), as the believer's Substitute -- satisfying the justice and the wrath of God in our behalf by the shedding of His own precious blood, when His soul was made an "offering for sin" (Isaiah 53:10). Yes, my friend, as we shall see next, GOD'S REMEDY for MAN'S RUIN is all bound up in the glorious Person, and the marvelous mediatorial work, of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Where will you spend eternity?
This question comes to you and me!
Tell me, what shall your answer be?
Where will you spend eternity?
Eternity! Eternity!
Where will you spend eternity?
Many are choosing Christ today,
Turning from all their sins away;
Heaven shall their happy portion be;
Where will you spend eternity?
Eternity! Eternity!
Where will you spend eternity?
Leaving the strait and narrow way,
Going the downward road today,
Sad will their final ending be,
Lost through a long eternity!
Eternity! Eternity!
Lost through a long eternity!
Repent, believe, this very hour,
Trust in the Saviour's grace and power,
Then will your joyous answer be,
Saved through a long eternity!
Eternity! Eternity!
Saved through a long eternity!--E. A. Hoffman