Who Avoids the Wrath of God?
As the Lord’s chosen people, we are the first to fulfill the Scriptures and live by every word God spoke. It is a blessing when we can read with God-given eyes to see and also hear with God-given ears to hear. Then a time comes when we reap the ultimate blessing of the Lord when we begin to actually live out or keep the prophecy of the sayings written about in the Bible.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand
Prophecy is mostly understood in the here and now. The time is at hand and it is at that time that we will be given to comprehend we are fulfilling the Scriptures. This blessing is our salvation and the making of the new man. To fulfill the Scriptures, we will endure many trials including bearing the wrath of our holy Father as he accomplishes His purposes in us.
This article will address a specific error that many believe that says God’s people (i.e. the Elect) do not experience the wrath of God. It is important to get this right as a day will come when one’s faith will be tested from the pressure and intensity of being in the winepress of God’s judgments. In this day of the Lord’s wrath, we will be tried mightily, and our lives and carnal mind will endure the fiery wrath of the Lord. Lest we forget, we must die this death to our carnal mind to come alive with Christ. This necessary destruction of our carnal mind and old man must take place and happens by going through this appointed season of wrath. Enduring this process is the faith and patience of His saints.
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
The Lord won’t try us beyond what we can bear and we will have been prepared to stand and give thanks for all the Lord is doing in our life. If we are Christ’s we will be gathered to Christ in our appointed times.
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
The Process of Reformation
The first step in our being reformed is coming to see our sins. The way problem fixing works in the natural is the same as it works in the Spirit. Awareness is the start of our walk with the Lord and that is the purpose of the law in bringing us to Christ. As we are given to see our sins His sword will never depart our house. It will be there to accomplish salvation in us. David learned this and we too in our appointed time.
2Sa 12:10 Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
What is the sword of the Lord? Sure, it’s the word of God but it is even bigger than that. The Lord is not limited to words in a book, His sword includes even the wicked within and without us. The Lord stirs up other people and causes events to happen in our lives to bring hardship and ultimately correction as a result of His wrath.
Psa 17:13 Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
Seeing salvation for us and salvation for everyone else as two processes, with two sets of rewards and punishments between the Elect and the others is an error. The two rewards and punishments doctrine is another variation of the eternal hell doctrine or even the rapture doctrine. Both false doctrines have God’s Elect bypassing His wrath and all the others being burned in hell forever or enduring the great tribulation. All men, including the very Elect, must go thru it and that tribulation very much includes the wrath of God.
Rev 7:14 And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The sum of the word shows us that this great tribulation is the same as our enduring the wrath of God against our rebellious and disobedient ways.
All who DO NOT BELIEVE, which is all of us for a very long time, shall have the wrath of God abiding upon us. Our faith/belief only grows as we endure the trials that include God’s wrath. As that wrath accomplishes its purposes, more of the promised land within is subjected to the Lord in faith and the fiery trials goes out on that portion.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Every part of us will be made a believer thru the process. It is how we are being saved, it is the way of salvation.
Everyone’s ungodliness and unrighteousness is addressed in due time. The Elect don’t get a pass, they just experience in this age if they are so blessed.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
We are being made holy and blameless by being judged by a vengeful, jealous and wrathful God that is thankfully merciful as well. King David earlier had called for the Lord’s wrath to come deliver him from his enemies within and without which comes only by the judgment of God.
Psa 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
God makes His power known to us and mankind only comes to know He is the Lord by experiencing His wrath in the whirlwind of His judgments. This learning is what causes us to obey Him in due time. This is the process by which the potter destroys the old man (marred clay in His hand) and reforms us into the new man in His image. A key passage of truth.
Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Without experiencing His wrath, we will not know the true power of the Lord and won’t know Him nor will we have learned the fear of the Lord.
Psa 90:11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
We all are by nature children of wrath, that is our destiny, and are going to have to go thru it. That indeed is the only way to be quickened with Christ and raised in newness of life (dying to death, having our carnal way of life destroyed).
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Our spiritual day of wrath is also our day of the Lord which is our time of judgment that comes first to the household of God.
Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
When Christ comes to us for salvation apart from sin, He is smiting the inward nations and ruling us with a rod of iron that is saving us. This is how Christ is “revealed” to us.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Eze 7:9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth.
But this wrath, the smiting, the judgment, however it is described is the best blessing we can ever get. It is the very thing that is saving us and for that, we are taught to give thanks for all things the Lord works, even His wrath.
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
These experiences are also the wonderful works of men to God’s children as Psalm 107 describes which bring us to our wits end and usher in salvation. All the fury and storms that bring us to our wits end are good as they are part of God’s favor and mercy. This is redeeming us from our bondage to the enemies of God within.
Psa 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
There is no other way to be saved and find Christ. No man enters into Christ ANY OTHER WAY. Every man, must fulfill the seven plagues of wrath… all God’s judgment to enter into Christ and be at rest. Here is a powerful testimony to never forget.
Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Appointed to Salvation not Wrath
It will help to address a specific verse that confuses many as almost all professing Christians are taught the lie. By itself this one verse seems to say we don’t experience the wrath of the Lord. But that is not what this verse actually means.
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
It is true, we are not appointed to wrath but rather to salvation. So Paul’s words here do not contradict the scores of other witnesses that say we do go thru His wrath to be saved. They harmonize it. Enduring our Father’s wrath is for a purpose, which is to bring salvation and the resulting overcoming/obedience. That is the purpose of God’s wrath, it is not to kill us or discourage us. That is why Paul adds in the verse reminding us to encourage one another during these very difficult times.
1Th 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
When we know the Lord’s purpose and our part in the Book, with the requisite faith we will be able to stand. This is how the gold and fine jewels in the temple of God that we are, are being made. With this problem verse now clear we can look at further details of the Lord’s methods.
The Rod of The Lord
We have a whole set of verses that speak to this using another symbol, the rod of God our Father. Thankfully the Lord does not spare us of His rod, we endure all of it and that is what teaches us righteousness. These Proverbs are true in the natural to our physical sons but also to us as the sons of God.
Pro 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Pro 23:13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die [in fact it bring newness of life!]
Pro 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
The Elect don’t get a pass on this. They are the first to experience the chastening and disciplining of our Father. This will bring us to lament of our sins and wickedness which in the end accomplishes the Lord’s work in us.
Lam 3:1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
The purpose of the “rod of His wrath” is to save us and separate us into a people holy and undefiled. All things that defile need to be removed to enter into the Holy City and thus our sanctification is the purpose of God’s wrath. This is how we are brought into the new covenant [saved] with the Lord.
Eze 20:37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
Eze 20:38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
We outwardly can see what happens when the rod is withheld by looking at the children of today and how the carnal world has changed with its “modern thinking”. The world with its false definition of love has in the name of “love” demonized disciplining of children and even the punishing of criminal lawbreakers. The result is more rebellion, lawlessness, and dysfunction in the nations. The Lord knows what He is doing and enduring wrath and punishment for our mistakes is the way we are learning to be like Him.
Psa 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
The Lessons of Wrath Upon Israel
And we have many witnesses showing God’s wrath very much applies to His Chosen people of Israel. Flesh Israel symbolizes God’s Elect and all those things written were examples for us to learn thereby. Many a carnal man has argued that the OT prophecies have no application to those that walk by faith today. That is an error as all of these OT prophecies were experienced and written down in the Bible for our edification today as God’s Elect. These words remain examples for us to live and learn by and are very applicable to us today.
1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Let’s be reminded of some of these events, events that we will live by in our time. The Lord gets angry and wrathful with His people when we disobey Him. Yet that wrath stops and the Lord repents of that evil when the discipline accomplishes its purpose. That is the function of fiery grace and when we are living in that day, the grace will always prevail.
We see in the OT what happens when we take the things of God and make our own image of God and worship that instead of the true God. Here is the consequence of disobedience to the law by making a golden calf in the Lord’s name. We all do this at first which requires God’s wrath to correct.
Exo 32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
Exo 32:11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
Notice the good that comes about from the wrath. God works the evil in us but the purpose is to make a great holy nation in the end.
The Lord’s wrath is not forever and does not deny that He is merciful in His judgments. Still, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and you will know it when it happens to you. We should take such experiences as a token sign of our salvation as the work of God will not be in vain for those that believe.
His wrath is not kindled against those unbelieving Philistines out there as the false doctrines of Babylon teach. No, God’s wrath is poured out against His own house and is part of the righteous judgment of God necessary to be saved. Some more examples of things we live out in fulfilling the Scriptures.
Num 11:33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
Num 16:46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
The grace of God (His favor) includes both the blessing and the curses. His wrath is used to discipline us and bring us back into subjection. It accomplishes His purposes in precise proportions.
Deu 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
Deu 11:17 And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
We provoke the Lord to wrath by our disobedience. It is the same as any physical father would get angry and wrathful to disobedient children. Don’t make the mistake of trying to wordsmith words to make wrath different from anger and chastening; they are one and the same. Here are just some examples showing they are interconnected.
2Ki 23:26 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.
2Ch 34:25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.
Jer 32:37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: Jer 32:38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
In simpler New Testament speak this is the scourging and chastening of a loving Father wanting to correct His sons and teach them righteousness.
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth
The purpose of this wrath on Israel is always the same, it is for the salvation of Israel. This is how sin is destroyed and the chosen and faithful are made into a great and holy nation. Those in the truth know the Lord causes even our disobedience as He seeks provocations to bring judgment to His people and thus advance them towards salvation.
Until we begin to live through the Lord’s wrath, we won’t really understand. We are not given to know the details ahead of time as the thunders are sealed and not written about [Rev 10:4].
When our time has come, the Lord removes the hedge of protection and sends forth evil [fire from heaven within and without] to wreak havoc. Then we will begin to understand as we live in our day of the Lord. Many things in our lives will seemingly go wrong and the Lord will spoil our pursuits and separate us from brethren and acquaintances. Job’s experience is ours!
Job 19:11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.
Job 19:12 His troops come together [The Lord’s Sword – Psa 17:13], and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.
Job 19:13 He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.
God is no respecter of persons and has ordained ONE process that will come alike to every man in their appointed time.
Act 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [the Elect, chosen of God now] shall be saved, even as they.
Now knowing the truth about the wrath of God makes us no better than anyone else. What it should do, is humble us and awaken us to what is going on in our lives. The Lord is not slack, He is doing nothing by happenstance. Through all things, He is speaking with us but we have been dull of hearing. We should take heed of the Lord’s voice thru these events so we may learn our lessons and hasten His coming within us.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
It is far better to suffer for righteousness’ sake and doing Christ’s commands than for any of our unrighteousness. Our goal is always to be holy and obedient people as our Lord and Father is holy [1Pe 1:16]. The sooner the better is our aim and struggle. Lord willing, with this truth on the wrath of God clearer in our heavens; our attitude and thanksgiving to the Lord will be markedly improved. Believing in Him and His promises can give us the strength to endure difficult periods of suffering.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Sincere questions are always welcome. if we can be helpers of your joy, please let us know.
Pete