The Wrath of God

INTRODUCTION:

    1. No study of God would be complete without this subject -

    2. This is part of both the OLD and the NEW testament teaching concerning God.

    3. Mentioned over 580 times in the Old Testament

    4. orge

      3709 orge or-gay'(from 3713; TDNT - 5:382,716; n f)

      AV - wrath (31), - anger (3) - vengeance (1) - indignation (1) [36]

        1) anger, the natural disposition, temper, character; movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger; anger, wrath, indignation; anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself: of punishments inflicted by magistrates

    5. thumos

      2372 thumos thoo-mos'(from 2380; TDNT - 3:167,339; n m) AV - wrath (15) - fierceness (2) - indignation (1) [18]

        1) passion, angry, heat, anger forthwith boiling up and soon subsiding again

        2) glow, ardour, the wine of passion, inflaming wine (which either drives the drinker mad or kills him with its deadly heat) (Rev. 14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 19:15, and Romans 2:8)

    6. OLD TESTAMENT WORDS:

      1. chemah, 'Hot displeasure, indignation, wrath, rage, fury." = 90 some times,

        Deuteronomy 9:19

      2. Charon = "heat, inward burning of anger.

        Numbers 11:1
          1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. (KJV)
        These two words refer to the inward fire of the emotion of anger in God (Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament)

      3. 'ap,

        which basically refers to the nostrils (of divine wrath 170 times). It comes from the verb 'anap, which means "to snort, to be angry."

        Psalm 18:8

          8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. (KJV)
        Psalm 2:5
          5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. (KJV)

      4. ka'as - used around 50 times for divine wrath -

        Judges 2:12
          12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. (KJV)

      5. 'ebrah,
        from a verb meaning to 'be full, to overflow", thus means "to be angry, to be full of wrath, to be overflowing with fury."

        Psalm 78:49

          49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. (KJV)

      6. za'ap and za'am.

        za'ap in Micah 7:9
          9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. (KJV)
        za'am in Nahum 1:6
          6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. (KJV)
        These carry the connotation of intense anger, ...being related to words tha mean "to storm, to rage'.

      7. qetsep,

        "the breaking forth of something under pressure" - used some 50 times for God's anger, Jeremiah 10:10 10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. (KJV)

        A. Hence, The wrath of God is NOT an uncontrolled fit of temper.

        B. God's wrath is NOT a sudden flaring up of passion which is soon over.

        C. It is a strong and settled opposition to all that is evil - arising out of God's very nature.

        D. It is the "absolute implacalbe hostility of the Divine Holiness to every form of moral evil"

        E. It is the natural and ineveitable and eternal recoil of the all-holy God against ALL that is unholy.

        F. It is the implacable antagonism of holiness for evil, and antagonism that burns eternally.

The Wrath of God is AGAINST ALL UNGODLINESS (SIN) - ROM. 1:18
    Because God is a 'Moral being', His anger is directed towards wrongdoing in any shape or form.

    It is the stern reaction of the divine nature to evil in man. It is aroused only and inevitably by sin.

    It is totally consistent, being directed only against and ALWAYS against sin.

      1. Romans 1:18-32, towards the 'pagen' world for all forms of evil.

      2. Isa. 5:24-25 - God's anger against Israel for sin.

      3. Deut. 29:24-28, God's anger is against Israel for breaking the covenant (transgression of law = sin)

      4. 2 Kings 17:13f

        vs. 13 = God says 'keep my commandments'....

        vs. 15 = they rejected such

        vs. 18 = so the Lord was very angry with Israel...

      5. Isa. 42:24-25 - God's anger poured out against Israel for sinning..

    Such anger / wrath of God is described in 'BRUTAL' and awful terms:
      Hebrews 10:31
        31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (KJV)

    Such 'sinners' are ENEMIES of God - Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21; James 4:4
    God is AGAINST all such sinners - Jer. 50:31, Ezek. 21:3;
    The face of God is against those who do evil - 1 Pet. 3:12
GOD HATES THE SIN - AND THE SINNER!!!!

    Psalm 5:5-6
      5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. 6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. (KJV)
    Deuteronomy 25:16
      16 For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. (KJV)
    Psalm 11:5
      5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. (KJV)
    Proverbs 11:20
      20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. (KJV)
    Proverbs 16:5
      5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. (KJV)
    Proverbs 17:15
      15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. (KJV)
    Leviticus 20:23
      23 And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. (KJV)
    Psalm 78:59
      59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: (KJV)
    Proverbs 6:16-19
      16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (KJV)
    Jeremiah 12:8
      8 Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it. (KJV)
God's wrath is ALWAYS judicial -, it is the wrath of a judge ministering justice -- the wrath He bestows is the wrath he owes -- we get only what we deserve.

God's wrath is something we CHOOSE for ourselves in the sense that we know sinners will be cursed but we shoose to sin anyway - cp. Rom. 1:32

It is the RIGHTEOUS judgment of God that brings such wrath -

    Romans 2:5
      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; (KJV)
Hence there will be a 'day of judgment' -
    2 Peter 3:7
      7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (KJV)
    Hebrews 10:27
      27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (KJV)
    2 Timothy 4:8
      8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (KJV)
    Isaiah 5:16
      16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. (KJV)
    Acts 17:31
      31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (KJV)
    2 Corinthians 5:10-11
      10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. (KJV)
This gives meaning to our SALVATION. Saved from WHAT - the coming wrath of God against SINNERS (which we were!) -
    Romans 5:9
      9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (KJV)
    1 Thessalonians 1:10
      10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (KJV)
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