GOD'S WRATH

"....for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand? Rev 6:17 "

Many of us don't like talking about God's wrath and many churches do not stress on this topic. We always think of God as a meek and forgiving God. But it is highly necessary for us to understand that God does get angry and He is capable of punishing us in His wrath, when we don't follow His instructions. GOD IN BIBLE IS NOT THE SAME GOD WHOM WE HAVE IMAGINED.


I would like to discuss God's wrath under four sub-topics here.

1.God's wrath is ETERNAL: God makes a note of all our sins in His book and He seperates us from His children and punishes us at the day of His judgement. Dan12:2 says, at the day of His judgement everyone will come alive, some will have eternal life and some will suffer from His ETERNAL wrath.

Mark9:43-48 prooves that He will remember our sins ETERNALLY for He says cut off your hands or legs or eyes that sins and throw it in fire, its better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one hand or one leg or one eye than to be thrown into hell.

He is a jealous God: says He will punish the children for the sins of their fathers to the 3rd and 4th generation(Exo20:4-6). David knows about this God, so he ask's for God's forgiveness on His Nation(Ps85:5). God wants us to accept Him and obey His commands. If we are not going to heed His words, remember His wrath is going to be eternal as said in 2Thess1:7-9.


2.God's wrath is TERRIBLE: God's wrath is terrible like a blazing fire. According to Mt13:41-42, He will send His angels to gather all those who have sinned and did evil things, to throw them into the fiery furnace. Also says, He will come on a day when we dont expect Him and will punish us TERRIBLY for the sins we have done and throw us where there is crying and gnashing of teeth(Mt24:50-51 and Mt25:30).

Job4:9 tells God's anger destroys everything like a storm. Rev18:18-20 best describes the last days on earth for those who are not God's people.


3.God's wrath is TOTALLY DESERVED: Reading this article will make you think, do i deserve God's wrath? Did i do anything that big to deserve such a big punishment? Yes, anybody not obeying any of His commands is worthy of God's wrath. All His commandments are equally important, stealing or lying is no way inferior to killing or adultry. Lying for our convenience and disrespecting parents does count.

If you remember the story of King David, Bathsheba and prophet Nathan(2 Sam 11 & 12), Nathan makes David realize the sin he has committed and God punished David's child. Sometimes we do certain things which makes us happy but that does not please God. God will remember even such sins and punish us at the right time.

Many at times, we dont realize our own stink, we will know only if somebody tells. Though our stink(sin) is small, remember God is infinitely holy and clean. Think about that... God will not let you enter heaven when you say 'i stink very little'. Repent from sin and never do it again, humble yourself completely and ask God for His undeserved blessing(grace).

4.God's wrath is ESCAPABLE: Isn't that a good news??? God never wants us to suffer His anger. He always chose us to lead a sin free happy life. 1Thess5:9-10 says that, 'God did not want us to suffer His anger but receive salvation through Christ who died for us'. According to Ps30:5, His anger lasts only for a moment but His favor lasts a lifetime. Let's find favor in His eyes and escape wrath.

This topic would have been a little heavy for our hearts but it's all true. We are accountable for everything we do on His judgement day. The day is near, be ready to escape God's wrath.

OPEN UP THE SENSES TO FEEL GOD

Senses are physiological methods of perception, in simple words they are faculty by which outside stimuli are perceived. There are five classical senses (viz. sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch) that are taught to us since childhood. But neuro-science has proved that there are at least seven senses in humans. It is classified by the sensory type cells which respond to specific kind of physical energy. Let’s not go into the physiology of senses but reflect how characters in Bible sense God’s love, and how are we going to open up our senses to feel God.

SIGHT
Do you know: Apart from two senses of sight (viz. color and brightness) there is a third sense that has popped up – Dimension.

Sense of sight is very important. You might have read how Jesus healed the two blind men on His way to Jerusalem (Mat 20:34), blind beggar Bartimaeus receiving his sight (Mark 10:52), incident at Bethsaida (Mark 8:25) and the most wonderful of all - healing the man who was born blind (John 9:7). Did you notice all of them testified Jesus and followed Him.

Being blessed with sight, have we testified God or are we guilty about them (John 9:41)? Like Balaam – whose spiritual eyes were opened to see God’s warning (Numb 22:31). Let’s open our spiritual eyes and overcome our spiritual blindness.


HEARING
Do you know: Sense of hearing disciplines our life because we learn a lot of things by hearing. It improves our communication (both verbal and non verbal) and language.

Jesus says he who has ears listen to me (Mat 13:9). He wants us to hear His words and have faith. Faith is believing the unseen. Romans 10:17 says: Faith comes from hearing and hearing the word of God. For His words will not fail to do what He has planned for it (Isaiah 55:11)

There is an incident in II Chr 34:14-33, where Shaphan reads the book of the law of the Lord to king Josiah. When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes, wept, repented, humbled himself before God and prayed. Not only that, he made all the people in his country hear the word of God and made them serve the Lord.

Every Sunday God’s words are being read to us and God’s message is passed on. Are we hearing that with our spiritual ears and responding the way we are supposed to? If not let’s start doing it now and also make others hear His words.

TASTE
Do you know: Taste is a chemical sense which can sense sweet, salt, sour, bitter and now umami (an amino acid glutamate) which is found in meat and in artificial flavorings.

O taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8). All of us know this verse but have we ever thought whether we have ever tasted God? Take a moment to think about this. We all would have tasted God in one way or the other. Its through His love and mercy that we taste Him. We all are created with some kind of problem in this world for which God helps us to endure it through His love and mercy. King David sings these words of praise after he had endured the bad times in his life. Remember we all have a battle to fight with and God will fight that battle for us and give us victory.

Taste, food and hunger are inter-related to each other. It changes certain situation of life. It changed the life of Jacob (Gen 27), Israelites (Manna & quail – Ex 16:1), Jonathan (I Sam 14:43), Daniel (Dan 1:8-14) and many more.

Lets us keep our taste buds open to feel God. Let our soul thirst for Him (Ps 63:1) and lets go drink from His cup and be satisfied (John 7:37)

SMELL
Do you know: Smell is also a chemical sense. Nose has more than 100s of olfactory receptors which helps us to identify a variety of smell. Dogs have much keener sense of smell than humans.

Paul rightly describes the importance of each organ in our body (I Cor 12:17). Each part has its own role to play. God liked the odour that came from the sacrifice made by Noah, so He promised that He will never curse the earth because of man whose heart is evil from childhood (Gen 8:21). Isaac uses sense of smell to identify his son and bless him (Gen 27:27).

Smell is always related to appetite. So let’s have a good appetite towards God’s love. Let’s smell God’s love from the people and nature around us and also let others smell the same from us. Let’s not be like a dead fly in a perfume bottle which makes the whole bottle stink (Ecc 10:1), instead spread the sweet aroma of sacrifice (praise and thanksgiving) which God likes and will bless us.

TOUCH
Do you know: The study of touch in humans is called haptics. Touch seems to produce many hormones and convey different non-verbal messages.

Before I touch this topic let me tell you God is going to give you a perfect touch. He says: For whoever touches you touches the apple of my eyes (Zech 2:18). In old testament, there are a lot of “Do not touch warnings”.
Ø He told Eve not to touch the apple (Gen 3:3)
Ø He gave a list of forbidden items that’s regarded unclean (Numbers & Leviticus)
Ø Uzzah died because he touched the covenant box which only consecrated people can touch. (II Sam 6:7)



In New Testament Jesus touched and healed a lot of them. He touched
Ø Peter’s mother-in-law and the fever left her (Mat 10:15)
Ø A man with a dreadful skin disease and he became clean (Mark 1:41)
Ø A man who was deaf and mute started to hear & speak without any trouble (Mark 7:33,35)
Ø The little children who were brought to Him so that Jesus could touch him (Luke 18:15)


Among all of them the faith of the woman who was bleeding for 12 years is something admirable. She had a faith that if she touches the corner of His cloak, she will be healed. She touched it and she was healed (Mat 9:20-22). Let’s analyze if we have atleast 1/100th of her faith or are we like Thomas who wanted to put his fingers in His scars to believe Him (John 20:25). Never mind those like Thomas, God wants us to come and touch him (Luke 24:39).

To conclude our God is a God who has eyes that see, ears that hear, mouth that speaks, He can smell and feel things unlike other gods made of human hands which have eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear and mouth that do not speak (Ps 115:6 & Deut 4:28) and we are made in His image. Let’s thank God for the perfect senses He has blessed us with and let’s open up our senses to feel God.

Christobel Rajesh