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           The very words― God's wrath, anger, fury, often produce thoughts of negativism, due to the carnal-minded doctrines of men which have portrayed God with all the base emotions of man. Yet it is clearly written, "God is not a man." [Numbers 23:19]. And it has been a gross injustice which men have spoken against the character of our God, when they impute to Him all of the perverted emotions of sinful flesh. Therefore we pray for that quickening of the holy Spirit to anoint our eyes to see, that we might know the truth, for of a surety, "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." [John 8:31-32].
          "Who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord?" The Hebrew word that is used here for "counsel" is "sod" and often translated as "secret," thus bespeaking of a secret assembly, a very private communion when secrets are shared in an intimate way. There are those truths which are only received as we spend time in personal communion with our God, as His Spirit illumines our heart and mind to perceive and hear "what the Spirit saith unto the churches." [Revelation 3:6].
          God declared further, through Jeremiah, "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. And so there were no positive results, no turning away from evil, for they had no clear and direct understanding of the way of the Lord. But "if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they should have turned them from their evil way." [Jeremiah 23:21-22].
          It remains as an indictment against the vast majority of preachers in this day, that few have ever spent much time in a "secret assembly" with the Lord, to receive their instructions from Him― a message direct from the throne, to speak to the people. Without this "revealed Word," men go about making "the commandment of God of none effect by their tradition, ―teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." [Matthew 15:6,9]. Thus they build their kingdoms, and add to the confusions of the day, each saying something different which appeals to the lusts of carnal men. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." [2 Timothy 4:3-4].
          Eliphaz once mocked Job for his piety, and asked him, "Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?" [Job 15:8-9]. To Eliphaz it was an incredible idea that mortal men could have such communion with the Almighty, as to "HEAR THE SECRET OF GOD." And such is the attitude of humanity even to this day.
          Yet Paul declares, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." [1 Corinthians 2: 6]. If the Spirit of Him "in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," [Colossians 2:3], dwells in us, we have the mind of Christ within, and we "need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." [1 John 2:27]. And thus we go through the processings whereby our mind is renewed into the mind of Christ, the carnality is purged out, and His mind fills our being.
          "Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant  knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you." [John 15:15].
          Indeed, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will shew them His covenant." [Psalm 25:14].
          "If any man will do His will, he shall know the doctrine." [John 7:17]. The Greek word for "doctrine" literally means: teaching, or what is taught. God is teaching, instructing, disciplining, training, developing a people. And while at present time it is but "an election of grace," [Romans 11:5], yet it is also written that the time shall come when "they shall be all taught of God." [John 6:45]. Though it be "every man in his own order." [1 Corinthians 15:23]. How wonderful are the ways in which He brings to an end the teachings of man, that He might teach us the things of God.
          "Surely the Lord will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets." [Amos 3:7]. There is  a purpose unfolding, and God will keep His own posted in  time for each event. These things do not happen all at once,  there are set times, and there are times when conditions are ripe for it. Nevertheless, "God has allowed us to KNOW THE SECRET of His plan, and it is this: He purposes in His sovereign will that all human history shall be consummated in Christ." [Ephesians 1:10, Phillips]. "And this is in harmony with God's merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for it― the purpose which He has cherished in His own mind of restoring the whole creation to find its one Head in Christ." [Weymouth]."
          "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but these things which are revealed belong unto us and to our chlldren for ever." [Deuteronomy 29:29]
          Only the smallest fragment of His secrets have been revealed thus far, but this much we are already rejoicing into know the secret of His plan to gather together all things in Christ, that all human history shall be consummated in Him, totally restored into His life and victory.
          "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord." [Isaiah 55:8].
          No carnal mind will ever out-guess the Lord! We might speculate and try to guess what will happen next, but without a God-given revelation we do not know. How essential it is that we have that SECRET ASSEMBLY WITH HIM .
          "So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth, it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it." [Isaiah 55:11].
          "I have sworn by Myself, the Word is gone out of  My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." [Isaiah 45:23].
          HIS WORD HAS GONE FORTH― He has spoken, and it shall not come to naught, but every particle of that Word shall be fulfilled, exactly as He decreed. Someone once made the statement, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it." But another heard this statement being made, and said, more correctly let it be stated, "GOD SAID IT, THAT SETTLES IT."  Whether we believe it or not, does not change what He has said, nor alter the outcome of His Word. "For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar." [Romans 3:3-4]. God said it, the Word went forth, and it shall accomplish all that He pleases. "If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself [2 Timothy 2:13]. HE Himself is the surety of His Word, for He cannot deny Himself. He is God, and He is totally righteous, therefore He shall fulfill all that He has spoken. How we rejoice in this security of His Word, the solid foundation upon which we stand. Bless His name forever!
          Now then, THE WORD went out, and it shall not return void. It also reads in our text verse, that something else has gone forth― first spoken of as "a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury," and then further defined as, "THE ANGER OF THE LORD SHALL NOT RETURN UNTIL..." Here is something else that has come forth from the bosom of God. What is the anger that went forth? What will the anger do before it returns to Him again? Part of the answer lies in the next statement of the verse, "...UNTIL HE HAVE EXECUTED, AND TILL HE HAVE PERFORMED THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART..."
          The anger of the Lord has to do something with the accomplishing of His thoughts, His will, His intent, His purpose. The anger of the Lord is a part of the out-working of His plan, while He performs, while He executes the thoughts of His heart.
          Before we consider anger from the Divine viewpoint, let us first examine it as man's emotion, defined by Webster's Dictionary;
 
          ANGER― hot displeasure (usually with a desire to punish) at what is regarded as an injury or injustice.
          WRATH― expresses the feelings of one bitterly provoked.
        RAGE― is a vehement anger, mastering the will, thus it indicates that one is out of control.
        FURY― a violent anger, excessive rage.
        MAD― a lack of reason, insane, crazy.
 
          All of these indicate progressive degrees of man's becoming angry. It is a self-motivated emotion; self-rights; have been abused, and man lashes out to protect those  rights, and to avenge himself. In his anger man desires to  punish the offender and make him suffer. The more his  anger burns within him, the more violent he becomes, until the emotion masters his own will and self-control, and going beyond the bounds of reason, sanity, his rage often produces excessive violence, far beyond the crime or offence committed.
          But, as already stated, "GOD IS NOT A MAN," therefore we dare not impute any of man's base, perverted emotions, to God. God is not self-motivated in His expression of displeasure at injustice. His nature is LOVE, and "love seeketh not her own..." [1 Corinthians 13:5]. Love does not leap to its own self-defence. God does not get angry, with a need to lash out and punish those who displease them. He does not become bitterly provoked. He does not go into a rage, which indicates He has lost control of His own being. God is not mad! Some religious soul had a "bumper sticker" printed, which said, "Jesus is coming soon, and is He mad."  That was a gross blasphemy against the character of our God. He does not get mad, He has not lost His reason. We must not, we dare not, impute to God any of these base emotions of man.
          God's nature is LOVE, and He does not change. "With Whom is no variableness (change), neither shadow of turning (literally, does not go into an eclipse)." [James 1:17]. All the fierceness of His power is motivated by HIS LOVE. All of His energy forces of fire are motivated by His love-nature.
          The main Hebrew word translated as "anger" is "aph," from a root meaning "to breathe hard," and thus, from man's viewpoint, to be enraged. Young's Concordance gives it as "snorting," the opposite of being passive. There is another Hebrew word "kaac," from the root― to trouble, which in all cases where it is used, save one, it is given as "to provoke the Lord to anger." In Deuteronomy 32:21, same meaning, but reversed in its direction, where it speaks of how God would provoke Israel. Its main thought is "to stir into action."
          Using man's terms, your iniquities will provoke the Lord to anger. What this is really saying is, God sees your iniquities, and in His long-suffering He allows them to continue, but He knows where to draw the line, and He is then stirred into action to correct the situation and restore rightness again. But it is not a wrathful action, out of bitterness or excessive rage. IT IS A DIVINE CORRECTIVE ACTION! "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain." [Psalm 76:10]. He allows man to do his own thing, go his own way, while sin  and iniquity abound, but only to the point that He can use every negative expression of man, and work it into good. At any point it would go beyond this boundary of His purpose HE RESTRAINS IT, He goes into action to end it, and turn all things into righteous balance.
          As parents we watch our children continually test the boundaries we have set for them, and when we feel they have gone as far as we will allow, we go into action to discipline and train them as to what is the right way. In our humanity we sometimes have allowed them to press us too far, and we react, rebelling against their rebellion, and in our anger might even go too far in our disciplines. Parents often have much to learn about their own self-control.
          God said to Ezekiel, "I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me... But thou, son of man, hear when I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house..." [Ezekiel 2:3,8]. Don't react in the same way, the same spirit in them. For he  was sent as God's messenger, and he must needs act with  God's motives, of that higher order. This gives us some  much needed insight into God's anger, His dealings with  man, and His tremendous loving-kindness in His disciplines.
          God has set the boundaries for man's rebellion, and when these are reached, counter-action is in order. Hence we could say, man has provoked the Lord to anger, that is, He is gone into action to correct the situation.
          "And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that He also is flesh..." [Genesis 6:3]. In harmony with His own purpose, God does strive with man. The Hebrew word "dun" given here as "strive" is only used this time in the Old Testament, and comes from a primitive root  meaning "to rule," by implication "to judge as umpire," or to "strive, as at law." During man's probation here on earth, God does strive with him, ruling, guiding, letting man exercise his will, make his mistakes, correcting him for them, setting forth His law, watching man break it, and then bringing him into judgment for it. But there comes a point when God says, "NO MORE." For man is flesh, and as Paul wrote, there is much that "the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh." [Romans 8:3]. Then God calls a halt to all this up and down, in and out, sin and repent, break the rule and be disciplined, activity. Flesh must be dealt with, brought to its end, that a higher order, THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT, might be instituted. So man rebels, and God woos him back to a path of righteousness, till the day that God says, "thus far, and no farther." Then He goes into action, not out of rage or madness, but an action that ends the stream of iniquity, to bring forth a regeneration.
          The Epistle of First Peter speaks how "the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing." Again we see how God dovetails all the events, working all things after the counsel of His own will. While He could have struck a fatal blow against iniquity long before, yet we have Noah labouring year after year to build an ark, so God endures with great long suffering all the rampant evil, while He patiently waits for Noah to finish his task. Then, all conditions being met, the flood comes. God does spare His own, but they do not stop the inevitable consequences of His chastenings.
          Genesis 15:16, God spoke to Abraham how that his seed (Israel) would be "a stranger in a land that is not theirs {Egypt)," and be afflicted there for four hundred years, "but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." Beautifully blending together the PROCESSINGS OF ISRAEL, and timing it just right to give the Amorites the last inch of their rope to do evil. When their cup of iniquity was FULL, then God would bring His people out of Egypt, and bring an end to the Amorites degeneration.
          Neither you, nor I, know how full the cup of iniquity is to be for this day. Nor do we know the size of the cup. We would like to see God stop it all RIGHT NOW. But God knows how to "make the wrath of man to praise Him." He  knows how to control all these things, and work them into good. All of our praying will not get Israel out of Egypt before the cup of iniquity is full. Certainly Israel prayed, groaned, sighed, "God, get us out of here. If ever You are going to send the Messiah, send Him now." God heard all this, for we read, "Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them." [Exodus 2:23-25].
          God saw the need, He heard the prayer― and while they kept praying He had Moses born, reared in the place of Pharoah, and after forty years of that training, sends him to the back side of the desert for forty more years of training― all the while Israel cries and groans for deliverance. But God is perfect in His timings, the Amorites are steadily filling up their cup of iniquity, and God is carefully grooming and preparing the man that will be used to deliver His people.
          "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation (krisis, judgment), of hell (Gehenna)." [Matthew 23:32-33]. Every measure is to be brought to the full.
          We read concerning Josiah, that "like unto him there was no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to the law of Moses;  neither after him arose there any like him. Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of His great wrath, wherewith His anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked Him withal." [2 Kings 23:25-26].
          What joy this king must have brought to the hearts of the faithful in Israel. One who turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and might. He was different from all those before him, and none came after him that was like him. An interlude in the stream of evil. How the godly in Israel rejoiced. Their prayers had been answered. BUT FOR ALL THIS, HE DID NOT TURN A WAY THE ANGER OF THE LORD, for all the evil still had to be dealt with in its proper time.
          People call for national prayer meetings, days of repentance, and times of revival― and we praise God for every moving of His Spirit as He STRIVES WITH MAN, and we rejoice in every outpouring of His Spirit which refreshes and turns our hearts toward Him. This will suspend for a time the wrath of God, but it does not disannul His hand that is stretched out to bring judgment. Thank God for all the people that pray and call upon His name, we are grateful for what it works in their lives, and any period of tranquility which it produces, "NOTWITHSTANDING THE LORD TURNED NOT FROM THE FIERCENESS OF HIS GREAT WRATH..." Because evil still must be dealt with, and thoroughly purged from the land. The TIMING is His, and He works it all together― He will send the rain upon the just and the unjust, and cause the sun to shine upon all, but He also has "appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness... " [Acts 17: 31].
          There are seasons, the times of refreshing which come from the presence of the Lord." [Acts 3:19]. But concurrent with those refreshings, God is allowing the world to bring its cup of iniquity to the full. And He hath appointed a day when all the refreshings, and sinnings, shall end, and He will JUDGE THE WORLD, and no amount of prayer otherwise will turn His hand away. We simply bow low to pray with all of our heart, "Thy will be done," as we enter our chambers, and shut the doors about us, to hide ourselves as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over past. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish (Hebrew, paqad, inspect, look after) the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity." [Isaiah 26:20-21].
          The Greek word for "anger, or wrath," is "orge," and, also has been translated as "desire," that is, a reaching forth or excitement of the mind, or, a justifiable abhorrence. Anger, indignation, vengeance, and wrath are all taken from this Greek word. From its root comes all the words for our human emotions, to be angry, to provoke, enrage, become exasperated, etc. When applied to the base, carnal, perverted emotions of man, we have all the ramifications of anger.
          But when applied to God, it bespeaks of THE ENERGY FORCES SET IN MOTION, REACHING OUT TO ACCOMPLISH A PURPOSE which results in restoration. This is the only Biblical meaning one can find for the "wrath of God..." This will include the judgments, but only because it is time to restore to rightness again. That is why we read, "The anger of the Lord shall not return (He has sent His energy force out, and it will work) until it has executed all the thoughts of My heart."
          Isaiah prophesied of the tremendous ministry of Christ, to "comfort all that mourn;  to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes,  the oil of joy for mourning. the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." [Isaiah 61:2-3].
          How we need this precious ministry in these days. There is a spirit of heaviness upon humanity. Heaviness― from the Hebrew "kehah" meaning: weakness. Figuratively it speaks of despondency, to grow dull. It speaks of that depression from dull monotony which even those who love the Lord," have to battle betimes. It's the nameless malady of the poor, the mysterious disease of the rich. Everything becomes dull,  empty, blah, depressive. But He has promised to give a garment of praise for the spirit of depression.
          He promised to "proclaim liberty to the captives, the opening of the prison to them that are bound..." Liberty to stop sinning, to leave the prison of our passions, shake off the fetters of our past. To be set free from every emotion that would cause us to corrupt ourselves.
          He promised to "comfort all that mourn." The consolations of humanity. Giving beauty for ashes, the oil of joy― until "the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." [Isaiah 65:17]. And He wipes away all tears from off our faces.
          But all of these things are made possible because of one other action which He has promised, "THE DAY OF VENGEANCE OF OUR GOD." [Isaiah 61:2]. Before the brokenhearted can be healed, causes must be dealt with. The energy forces of God must be put into action to correct the very cause of earth's iniquity. God has not rescinded His law, that "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." [Galatians 6:7]. But God has purposed to bring creation to that state of being where we shall no longer sow to the flesh, and therefore will not reap the harvest of that sowing. We will learn to "sow into the Spirit" that we might "out of the Spirit reap life everlasting." What glorious victories await to be realized.
          The tide of iniquity rolls on, filling up the cup, and He has purposed it to be so, UNTIL THE DAY  when He shall "send Jesus Christ, ― Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."[Acts 3:20-21].
          We cry out, "How long, O Lord, how long?" but the Spirit whispers deep within, "that ye stir not up, nor awake my Love, till He please." And when the time has come, then "the voice of my Beloved! behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills." [Song of Solomon 2:7-8]. He does not leap upon the little hills, nor lightly skip on the mountains. But He measures out the exact correction. "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." [Luke 3:5-6]. He will not exercise one bit of force beyond that which is necessary to accomplish His purpose. He will leap on the mountains― every kingdom that has exalted itself against the truth shall come smashing  down. And every little hill shall be pressed down again, until  all is leveled out before Him. Man is prone to "leap on the  mole hill" and just ignore the mountains, because we don't know what to do with it all. We over compensate for the little things. But HE DOETH ALL THINGS WELL!
          "Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come." [Psalm 102:13].
          Things can happen thick and fast, judgments be poured out, but only because it is time to end the provocations. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." [2 Peter 3:9].
          "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire." [Malachi 3:1-2].
          The day of vengeance of our God― a time when He comes to cleanse the earth. It is not an act of madness, it is an OPERATION OF LOVE to bring the universe into harmony, peace, and righteousness. "For I know the thoughts that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace, and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome." [Jeremiah 29:1, Amplified].
          The promises of God must certainly be performed in their appointed season, and thus we must in patience wait for them. We know not what the thoughts of God are respecting our personal concerns, and He has surely "put the times and seasons in His own power," but it should suffice us to know that He has thoughts "of good and not of evil," toward us. All things shall work together into our good, and for His praise. We shall be made joyful in His salvation, and His praise shall extend to the ends of the earth.
 
 

What gross injustice, men blaspheme
The character of God,
And charge Him with passions of man,
Despise His chast'ning rod.
The anger of the Lord, say they,
Is a tumultuous wrath,
A fury, rage, a lashing out,
Forget the love He hath.
But this they are ignorant of,
His nature does not change,
His love is ever reaching out
To gather the estranged.
The truth, O child of God, be known,
His anger works for thee,
It speaks of how His pow'r and might
Restore to purity.
'Tis all for good, that He might cleanse
The earth from sin and shame,
That every creature might be found
To glorify His name.
Love's motivated fire-force
Shall never cease until
The universe is made anew,
One in His perfect will.
The character of God,
And charge Him with passions of man,
Despise His chast'ning rod.
The anger of the Lord, say they,
Is a tumultuous wrath,
A fury, rage, a lashing out,
Forget the love He hath.
But this they are ignorant of,
His nature does not change,
His love is ever reaching out
To gather the estranged.
The truth, O child of God, be known,
His anger works for thee,
It speaks of how His pow'r and might
Restore to purity.
'Tis all for good, that He might cleanse
The earth from sin and shame,
That every creature might be found
To glorify His name.
Love's motivated fire-force
Shall never cease until
The universe is made anew,
One in His perfect will.

^{__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(1)  Prinzing, Ray and Doris. WHISPERS OF HIS JUDGMENTS. (now out of print), Boise, Idaho 83705}

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