The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and the lord will by no means leave the guilt unpunished (Neh. 1:3). Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken up by Him (Neh. 1:6).
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Math. 3:7)
From the above, we note that a wrath is coming. It is not the wrath of a mere mortal, but of God. When it comes, it will be catastrophic, painful and disastrous. But, one good thing is that this wrath can be escaped! The bible is the word of God through which He reveals His will to man. In it, He shows man who he is, what he is created to be, how he is to live and what the future holds for him, depending on how he lives in the present.
It further shows us that Jehovah, the creator and sustainer of the entire universe is the God or love.
Nevertheless, the bible goes on to reveal that He is both loving and severe. Rom. 11:22 behold then the kindness and severity of God Further, the Bible reveals that, it is terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31). This is made more clear in Mal. 4:1, for behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. Seeing the fierceness of the coming wrath of God, the apostle Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote, Therefore, knowing the terror of Gods, we persuade men.
DIVINE WRATH; FACT OR FICTION?
Many sincere people have put off the message of the coming wrath of God as a fiction; a preachers tale. They ask, How a loving God can punished His creatures? It is irrational, they reason.
Those who think this have failed to balance the reasonable equation. When God told Abraham that He was going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because their sins were exceedingly grave at first, the patriarch could not stand the thought of the loving God destroying His creatures. So he asked, Will thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Vs. 23 He added; far be it from thee, shall not the judge of all the earth deal kindly? (Gen. 18:25) Gods answer was that, the sinner will not go unpunished and the righteous will not go unjustified.
The coming wrath of God is a scriptural fact.
The Lord answered for himself, silencing the ignorance of thoughtless people, far be it from me for those who honor me, I will honor and those who despise me will be lightly esteemed (1Sam 2:30b) which is to say that God recognizes those who obey Him and shall punish all those who disobey Him. The psalmist puts it more bluntly, the wicked shall be turned into hell, and the nations that forget God (Psa. 9:17).
When the wrath of God is revealed, it will be catastrophic. The book of revelation presents this picture as the result of the opening of the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12-17)
WHY IS GOD ANGRY?
At this point, it is pertinent to ask, Why is God angry? Why is His wrath coming? God is slow to anger (Neh. 1:3). However, mankind stirs Gods anger with wickedness and immoralities. God spoke out in Zechariah 1:15. But I am very angry with the nations for while I was a little angry, the furthered the disaster. Gods coming wrath is around by the following things among others;
WICKEDNESS OF MAN: God is angry because of the wickedness of man mans inhumanity to man, disobedience to God and the multitudes of mans atrocious deeds. (Gen. 6:5). Micah described human wickedness in these terms; woe to those who scheme iniquity, who work out evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, for it is in the power of their hands. They covert fields and then seize them, and houses and take them away. They rob a man and his house (Mic. 2:1-3). Scanning the days newspapers or watching TV, what do you see? Stones of ritual sacrifice, rape, killing of unborn babies, arson, daylight murders and robberies, famine, refugees, senseless war, frauds and many unimaginable things. You wonder; I wonder; we all wonder; what is God doing? Yet, He thunders, nevertheless, I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the law of Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for you Math. 11:24.
DISTORTION OF GODS PLANS: Men have corrupted the original plan of God. Eccl. 7:29. The introduction of many things into the plans of God are evident in both sacred and social institutions. In Christianity, He purposed that there should be one fold and one shepherd (John 10:16), one body (Eph. 4:4) which is the church (col1:18; Math. 16:18). But man has introduced different things altogether. Rather than one fold, one shepherd, there are many folds and many shepherds. Everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25 cf prov. 14:12). Most religious leaders in Christendom have been telling us to Attend any church of your choice, God brought order, man brought disorder (1Cor. 14:33). Gods will is that His people should be of the same mind and the same judgment. (1Cor. 1:10-12 cf Jn. 17:20-21). But today, men have arisen, teaching distorted things drawing away disciples after themselves (Act 20:29-31). The wrath of God is coming, burning like a furnace.
WIDESPREAD VIOLATION OF HIS COMMANDS: The psalmist put it this way, time is ripe for the Lord to take action, and they have broken the laws (Psa. 119:12b). if you were God, looking down into the world you had made and behold, everything, every place and everyone messed up people killing each other, living like beasts, doing things with reckless abandon what would you do? Smile and say, Never mind, its not important? No! He has made them pay for their crime, and He will destroy them in their sin; the Lord our God will make an end of them (Psa. 94:20-23).
RECIPIENTS OF GODS WRATH: WHO ARE THEY?
When the wrath of God is revealed, who shall bear its brunt? Definitely, not everyone. Abraham, the patriarch interceding for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah asked with thou indeed sweep away the righteous and the wicked? (Gen. 18:23). Gods answer was NO. in the day of Gods wrath according to prophet Malachi,all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set ablaze but for you who fear the Lord, sun of righteousness will rise with healing(Math. 4:1-3). Indeed, the day of the revelation of the righteous, consuming wrath of God will be a day of groaning and glory for the wicked and the righteous, respectively against whom will Gods wrath be directed?
THE WICKED. Behold the tempest of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth (Jer. 30:23-24)
THOSE WHO ARE INVOLVE IN ALL FORMS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. (Rom. 1:18). The wrath of God is coming against all anti-God and anti-righteousness activities of all men and women, young and old; oppressor and oppressed; employer and employee; high and low, movers and shakers; religious and non-religious who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Be warned! Why will you die!? Repent or perish.
THOSE WHO DISOBEY THE TRUTH. (Rom. 2:8-9) who and what is truth? (a). God is truth Rom. 3:4. (b). Jesus is (Jn. 14:6). (c). Gods word is truth (Jn. 17:17). In other words, those who disobey God, Jesus, and the word of God (the Bible) shall experience Gods wrath, what must you do then? Jesus said Ye shall know the truth(Jn. 8:32)
THOSE WHO ARE LIVING ACCORDING TO THE INCLINATION OF THE LOWER NATURE. Col. 3:5-6.
HOW CAN WE EXCAPE FROM THE WRATH TO COME?
The bible warns flee from the wrath to come (Math. 3:7). To flee from the wrath to come, you must do the following:
KISS THE SON Psa. 2:12 Nah. 1:17 who is this son? JESUS! (Jn. 8:24). How then are we to kiss the son? By believing in Him: (Jn. 3:16). By believing and acknowledging Him in your life, you will escape from the wrath to come. But the failure to do so spells doom. (Jn. 3:36) But, who is this JESUS?
He is the savior of mankind from their sins (Math. 1:21)
He is the lamb of God who takes away sins (Jn. 1:29)
He is the mankind atoning sacrifice(1Jn. 2:2)
He is the mediator between God and man (1Tim. 2:5)
He is the one who drank the cup of wrath without mercy so that we can drink the cup of mercy without wrath (Math. 26:39 & Luke 12:50)
He is the one who delivers us from the coming wrath (1Thess. 1:10; Rom. 8:1)
He is the one who died for our sins and rose from the dead for our Justification (Rom. 4:25)
He is the one who empowers us to be Gods children (Jn. 1:12).
JESUS RECREATES YOUR PAST, RENEWS YOUR PRESENT AND READIES YOUR FUTURE. FLEE TO HIM AND BE SAVED FROM THE COMING WRATH (SEE 1TIM. 1:15; 2COR. 5:17).
BE BORN AGAIN.
Jesus said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3). How can one be born again? Let it be said here that one cannot be born again by laying hands on your radio or TV as a point of contact or by saying the sinners prayer. There is nothing like a sinners prayer for an alien sinner to be found in the scriptures.
To be born again, one must be born again of water and of the spirit (Jn3:5). There are two elements to being born again found in the word of God. They are water and spirit.
SPIRIT: The spirit stands for the word of God, it is the spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life (Jn. 6:63).
WATER: Water stands for baptism looking! Water! What prevents me from being baptized? (Act 8:36; 10:47). Space would not permit me to discuss baptism in detail. But you can read the following passages on your own; Matt. 28:19, Mk. 16:15-16, Rom. 6:3-5, Act 2:37-41,47; Act 8:12-13, Act 9:13-17; 18:8; 19:1-5; 22:16, Luke 7:30. The apostle Paul by the inspiration of the Holy spirit puts it thus, in order that by cleansing her by means of the washing in water, He may sanctify her through His word (Eph. 5:26). Baptism was commanded by Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20). The apostle practiced it, Act. 2:38-41, Act 18:12; 10:48; 16:33; 18:8; 19:11) and sinners obey it, (Acts 2:41; 8:38-39). Why wont you? In baptism, you come in contact with the cleansing blood of Christ. (Rom. 6:3-4) you put on Christ (Gal. 3:27). Your sins are washed away, (Act 22:16) and salvation assured (1pet. 3:21).
STEPS TO BEING BORN AGAIN AND FLEEING FROM THE COMING WRATH OF GOD.
Hear the gospel.the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1:16 cf 1Cor. 15:1-4)
Believe the gospel. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6, Jn. 8:24).
Repent of your sins Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish (Luk. 13:3). God is a righteous judge, a God who is angry with the wicked every day. If a man will not repent, he will sharpen his sword; He has strung his bow and made it ready. He has prepared for him weapons of death, making his arrows fiery shafts (Luk. 13:3; Psa. 7:11-13 cf Act 17:30-31, Isaiah 5:5-7, Act 3:19) Confess your faith in Christ if you confess with your lips the lord Jesus Rom. 10:9-10.
Be Baptized. Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now why do you wait, arise, and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name, for whatever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Act 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 10:13)
CONCLUSION: Much has been said in this booklet to cause you to flee from the wrath to come I want to encourage you to come to terms with God today through His son Jesus Christ. He is both the lamb of God and the lion of the tribe of Judah; the savior who is also your judge as Gods fellow workers, we appeal to you not to accept the grace of God in vain Behold now is the acceptable time, behold today is the day of salvation (2Cor. 6:1-2)David Essien
