THE BIBLICAL GOSPEL: God’s Inescapable Judgment & Wrath

GOD'S PERSON: GOD WILL JUDGE MAN

God is holy, absolutely separate from sin, sinners, and wickedness; and set apart unto Himself. When Isaiah saw the Lord in Isaiah 6, he saw a future vision of the King, YHWH of hosts—Jesus who is Christ—in the glory of His kingdom, sitting on His throne in His millennial temple. Seraphim stood above Him and they called out to one another: “‘Holy, holy, holy is YHWH of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory’” (Isaiah 6:3). “Who is like You among the gods, O Yahweh? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, fearsome in praises, working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). “There is no one holy like Yahweh; indeed, there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2). “And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

God is righteous and just and is the Judge: “For Yahweh your God is the God of gods and the

Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the fearsome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe” (Deuteronomy 10:17). “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; / A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). “…great in counsel and abundant in deeds, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds” (Jeremiah 32:19). “For Yahweh is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face” (Psalm 11:7). “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You” (Psalm 89:14). “Righteous are You, O Yahweh, and upright are Your judgments” (Psalm 119:137). “‘Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?’” (Job 8:3). “Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before Yahweh; for He is coming to judge the earth” (1 Chronicles 16:33). “But Yahweh abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, / And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will render justice for the peoples with equity” (Psalm 9:7-8). “Before Yahweh, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness” (Psalm 96:13). “And He commanded us to preach to the people, and solemnly to bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42).

God requires absolute holiness of man because He is holy: “‘Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, “You shall be holy, for I, Yahweh your God, am holy”’” (Leviticus 19:2). Man in his sinful state cannot obey God, man cannot make himself holy, he cannot save himself by his works, he cannot fulfill God’s standard for absolute righteousness because man is completely and thoroughly sinful; therefore, man cannot please God: “In truth I know that this is so; but how can a man be in the right before God?” (Job 9:2). “What is man, that he should be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” (Job 15:14). “How then can mortal man be right with God? Or how can he be pure who is born of woman?” (Job 25:4). “And do not enter into judgment with Your slave, for no one living is righteous in Your sight” (Psalm 143:2). “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; / And all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away” (Isaiah 64:6). “‘Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before Me,’ declares Lord Yahweh” (Jeremiah 2:22). “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure, I am clean from my sin’?” (Proverbs 20:9). “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10). Job 9:30-31.

Man’s sinful state is such that man is enslaved to sin, in bondage to sin: “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin’” (John 8:34). “Do you not know that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

God hates sin and sinners:

“For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;

Evil does not sojourn with You.

The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;

You hate all workers of iniquity.

You destroy those who speak falsehood;

Yahweh abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

But as for me, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness I will enter Your house,

At Your holy temple I will worship in fear of You” (Psalm 5:4-7).

“Yahweh is in His holy temple; Yahweh’s throne is in heaven;

His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

Yahweh tests the righteous,

But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

May He rain snares upon the wicked;

Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.

For Yahweh is righteous, He loves righteousness;

The upright will behold His face” (Psalm 11:4-7).

“The face of Yahweh is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth” (Psalm 34:16). Proverbs 6:16-19—

“There are six things which Yahweh hates,

Even seven which are an abomination to Him:

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

And hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked thoughts,

Feet that hasten to run to evil,

A false witness who breathes out lies,

And one who spreads strife among brothers.”

Therefore, because God is holy and righteous and hates sin and sinners, He is angry and wrathful against sinful man, and He will therefore pour out His wrath in judgment upon the wicked who transgress against Him and do not repent of their sins. Psalm 7:11-16—

“God is a righteous judge,

And a God who has indignation every day.

If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;

He has bent His bow and prepared it.

He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;

He makes His arrows fiery shafts.

Behold, he travails with wickedness,

And he conceives mischief and gives birth to falsehood.

He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,

And has fallen into the hole which he made.

His mischief will return upon his own head,

And his violence will descend upon his own skull.”

“Pour out Your indignation on them, and may Your burning anger overtake them” (Psalm 69:24). “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will repay to each according to his works: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. There will be affliction and turmoil for every soul of man who works out evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who works good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law naturally do the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:4-16). Nahum 1:2-8—

“A jealous and avenging God is Yahweh;

Yahweh is avenging and wrathful.

Yahweh is avenging against His adversaries,

And He keeps His anger for His enemies.

Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power,

And Yahweh will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.

In whirlwind and storm is His way,

And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; 

He dries up all the rivers.

Bashan and Carmel languish;

The blossoms of Lebanon languish.

Mountains quake because of Him,

And the hills melt;

Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,

The world and all the inhabitants in it.

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 torn down by Him.

Yahweh is good,

A strong defense in the day of distress,

And He knows those who take refuge in Him.

But with an overflowing flood

He will make a complete destruction of its place

And will pursue His enemies into darkness.”

THE NATURE OF GOD’S WRATH

The nature of God’s wrath on the wicked is just recompense: “You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked” (Psalm 91:8). “Be lifted up, Judge of the earth, render recompense to the proud” (Psalm 94:2). “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will repay to each according to his works” (Romans 2:5-6). God’s wrath is punishment: “Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power, and Yahweh will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (Nahum 1:3). “‘And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life’” (Matthew 25:46). God’s wrath is vengeance: “Yahweh, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth!” (Psalm 94:1). “executing vengeance on those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). “never taking your own revenge, beloved—instead leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, ‘vengeance is mine, i will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

God’s wrath is eternal: “‘And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to reproach and everlasting contempt’” (Daniel 12:2). “‘Then He will also say to those on His left, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels”’” (Matthew 25:41). “‘And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life’” (Matthew 25:46). “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). “And a second time they said, ‘Hallelujah! her smoke rises up forever and ever’” (Revelation 19:3).

God’s wrath is eternal destruction and death by fiery torment and agony: “May He rain snares upon the wicked; fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup” (Psalm 11:6). “Your hand will find out all your enemies; Your right hand will find out those who hate you. / You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; Yahweh will swallow them up in His wrath, and fire will devour them” (Psalm 21:8-9). “Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who gird yourselves with firebrands, / Walk in the light of your fire and among the brands you have set ablaze. / This you will have from My hand: you will lie down in torment” (Isaiah 50:11). “‘And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame”’” (Luke 16:23-24). “He has brought back their iniquity upon them and will destroy them in their evil; Yahweh our God will destroy them” (Psalm 94:23). “‘And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell’” (Matthew 10:28). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

MAN CANNOT ESCAPE GOD

Man cannot escape God and His wrath against them: "Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, but the seed of the righteous will escape” (Proverbs 11:21). “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh; assuredly, he will not be unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5). “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape” (Proverbs 19:5).

“‘See now that I, I am He,

And there is no god besides Me;

It is I who put to death and give life.

I have wounded, and it is I who heal,

And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven,

And say, as I live forever,

If I sharpen My flashing sword,

And My hand takes hold on judgment,

I will render vengeance on My adversaries,

And I will repay those who hate Me.

I will make My arrows drunk with blood,

And My sword will devour flesh,

With the blood of the slain and the captives,

From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’

O nations, cause His people to shout for joy;

For He will avenge the blood of His slaves,

And He will render vengeance on His adversaries,

And He will atone for His land and His people.”

—Deuteronomy 32:39-43.

“Your hand will find out all your enemies;

Your right hand will find out those who hate you.

You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger;

Yahweh will swallow them up in His wrath,

And fire will devour them.

Their offspring You will destroy from the earth,

And their seed from among the sons of men.

Though they intended evil against You

And devised a scheme,

They will not succeed.

For You will make them turn their back;

You will aim with Your bowstrings at their faces.

Be exalted, O Yahweh, in Your strength;

We will sing and praise Your might.”

—Psalm 21:8-13.

The wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-10). The wicked will not come into the New Jerusalem: “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb…And nothing defiled, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:23, 27).