So what is the Wrath of God?

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blessedhope

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And From the Revelation quotes above we can see that it’s a period of judgment that begins during the seal judgments of Rev. 6 and ends with the bowl judgments of Rev. 16-18. When some form of this phrase appears in the New Testament it’s almost always in reference to the end time judgments.

If that’s the case what are these other so-called periods of wrath we hear about?

The Wrath of the Lamb comes from Rev. 6:16. The very next verse, Rev. 6:17, tells us it’s also God’s Wrath which makes sense because in John 10:30 Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."

The Wrath of Man is a phrase that doesn’t appear in the Bible, but some commentators have used it to describe what has traditionally been called the first four Seal Judgments of Rev. 6, also known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Again, this is part of God’s wrath. The four horsemen symbolize the initial appearance of the anti-Christ and his efforts to gain control of the world through conquest (Rev. 6:2).

The Wrath of Satan comes from the King James version of Rev. 12:12 where Satan is described as having great wrath because he’s been kicked out of heaven and knows he has only a short period of time to accomplish his goal of conquering Earth. His expulsion from heaven will happen at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, shortly before the Bowl judgments that complete God’s Wrath are unleashed against him and his followers. So you see, Satan is not the author of this final series of judgments but is their target. The Greek word used of Satan’s wrath is thymos and while it sometimes refers to God’s wrath as well, orge is the word most frequently used in connection with God’s Wrath. The difference between the two words as they’re used here is that God’s wrath is the cause of punishment while Satan’s wrath is the reaction to punishment.

The judgments that immediately follow the 2nd coming are described in Matt. 24:45-25:46. They will determine who among the survivors of the Great Tribulation will be welcomed into the Millennial Kingdom on Earth. All unbelieving survivors will be taken off the planet at that time. The 2nd Coming, the judgments of Matt. 24-25 and preparations for the Kingdom will be completed in the first 75 days from the end of the Great Tribulation (Daniel 12:12) which are never referred to as the time of God’s Wrath.

The same is true of the Great White Throne judgment of Rev. 20:11-15. At the end of the Millennium the unbelieving dead from all ages will be gathered for their final judgment. Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternal punishment. The Lake of Fire is never referred to as God’s Wrath.

From these and other passages we can safely conclude that New Testament references to God’s Wrath overwhelmingly describe a specific period of judgment upon the post rapture world, beginning early in Daniel’s 70th Week and ending just before the 2nd Coming. His Wrath consists of three named sets of judgments and and possibly an additional one that’s unnamed.
 

blessedhope

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The first set of named judgments is called the Seal judgments because they occur as Jesus opens seven seals on a scroll the Father will hand Him. They’re described in Rev. 6 as a period of time beginning with the perception that peace has come to Earth and ending with the realization that God’s Wrath has begun. In writing about this time Paul said, "When people are saying ‘Peace and safety’ destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape" (1 Thes. 5:3). The first six Seal Judgments will bring war, famine, plague and death to 1/4th of the world along with massive martyring of post rapture believers.

The seventh Seal is not a judgment in and of itself but introduces the second named series, called the Trumpet Judgments (Rev. 8:4-9:21). As seven angels blow their trumpets in turn, the sound of each trumpet will introduce another judgment. This series of judgments will combine natural with supernatural attacks upon humanity and by the time they’re finished a third of the earth’s forests and fields will be ablaze, a third of the sea creatures will have died, a third of Earth’s water supply will have been contaminated, and a third of the people who survived the seal judgments will have died.

After the sixth Trumpet judgment an unnamed event will be visited upon the Earth. At a signal from a mighty angel seven thunders will speak, and although John was forbidden from telling us what they will say, scholars speculate that it might be an unannounced judgment of some kind (Rev. 10:1-4).

The blowing of the 7th Trumpet will announce the commencement of the Lord’s reign over Planet Earth (Rev. 11:15-18). War in Heaven will result in the permanent expulsion of Satan and his angels (Rev. 12:7-12). Having been confined to Earth, Satan will indwell his man, the anti-Christ, and will cause him to announce from the Temple in Israel that he is God (2 Thes. 2:4). Jesus said this will kick off the Great Tribulation, the worst disaster the world ever has or ever will suffer. He warned the Jewish people who will be living in Israel at the time to immediately flee for their lives (Matt. 24:15-21).

This will take place in the middle of Daniel’s 70th Week and at this point the full force of God’s wrath will be loosed upon Satan and his followers in the final series of judgments (Rev. 16-18). They’re called the Bowl judgments because they’re symbolized by angels pouring out seven bowls of God’s Wrath upon the Earth. The power of these judgments and the devastation they cause is beyond description. Jesus was correct in saying that if He didn’t stop them at the appointed time, not a single human being would survive (Matt. 24:22).

I believe one effect of these judgments will be to complete the demolition phase of the Earth’s restoration, which Jesus spoke of in Matt. 19:28, Peter confirmed in Acts 3:21 and John described in Rev. 21:1. For example Revelation 16:16-21 speaks of the worst earthquake the world has ever experienced causing every mountain to fall down, islands to disappear, and the cities of the nations to be destroyed, while 100 lb. hailstones bombard the Earth. Believe me when I say you wouldn’t wish this on your worst enemy.

Much of the world’s remaining population will die during this time, but because of it the Earth will be ready for restoration to the condition it was in when Adam was created. This will happen at the time of the 2nd Coming.
 

blessedhope

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AND What About Us?

Paul made it clear that the Church will not be present on Earth during any of this time of judgment. In 1 Thes. 1:10 he wrote that Jesus will rescue us from the coming wrath. (The Greek word translated from in this verse refers to both the time and place of the coming wrath, so we won’t be present when it happens and we won’t be present where it happens.) He will do this because God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 5:9).

If you believe you’re a sinner, but that God sent His Son to die for your sins, and if you’ve accepted His death as having paid their full penalty, then you won’t have to face any of these judgments. One day soon, you’ll disappear with the rest of us and will be in Heaven with the Lord while all this is happening on Earth.

You’ll see that your decision to believe in what the Lord did for you was the defining moment of your life and will understand that it made you into one of the world’s ultimate winners. You’ll realize this is what God always intended for you to do and you’ll know why the Heavenly Host is erupting into joyous celebration as you come into the presence of the Lord. If you listen carefully you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 08-13-11
 

ATP

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blessedhope said:
The Wrath of the Lamb comes from Rev. 6:16. The very next verse, Rev. 6:17, tells us it’s also God’s Wrath which makes sense because in John 10:30 Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."
Rev 6:16-17 occurs after the sixth seal is open and the sixth seal opens in the middle of the last 3.5 years of the 70th week, after the great tribulation is over. And rapture occurs after the sixth seal and after the great tribulation Matt 24:29-31 NIV.

blessedhope said:
From these and other passages we can safely conclude that New Testament references to God’s Wrath overwhelmingly describe a specific period of judgment upon the post rapture world, beginning early in Daniel’s 70th Week and ending just before the 2nd Coming.
That's incorrect. End times wrath consists of trumpets and bowls,

and trumpets and bowls do not begin until the middle of the last 3.5 years of the 70th week, after the great tribulation is over.

The first half of the 70th week are considered birth pains. Birth pains are not God's wrath. Matt 24:8 NIV.

blessedhope said:
AND What About Us?

Paul made it clear that the Church will not be present on Earth during any of this time of judgment. In 1 Thes. 1:10 he wrote that Jesus will rescue us from the coming wrath. (The Greek word translated from in this verse refers to both the time and place of the coming wrath, so we won’t be present when it happens and we won’t be present where it happens.) He will do this because God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 5:9).
The church will be spared God's wrath, but the church will still have to go through the GT. The Great Tribulation is not God's wrath. The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord which is God's wrath are not the same event. The GT is man's rebellion against God, and the Day of the Lord is God's wrath against man. These two events are split in half in the last 3.5 years of the 70th week.

The church will have to go through the first five seals and also the GT, but they will be raptured before the Day of the Lord begins, God's wrath of trumpets and bowls. The church will witness the signing of the peace treaty, the third temple built, the first four seals opening, the abomination of desolation, the two witnesses, the fifth seal opening, the GT of man's rebellion and the sixth seal of cosmic disturbances in the sun, moon and stars before they are raptured.

prewra01.JPG
 

OzSpen

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blessedhope,

I see another dimension to the wrath or anger of God.

When I speak of the anger/wrath of God, I refer to how God intensely hates all sin. As a result, God acts towards such sin in his own unique way. We see evidence of the outworking of God’s wrath in the Scriptures when God’s people sinned against God. When God saw the idolatry of the Israelites in Moses’ day, the Lord God said to Moses,
“I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you” (Ex. 32:9-10).
Another example is in Deut. 9:7-8,
Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. Even at Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you.
The wrath of God is not only an attribute of God that is demonstrated by OT actions against those who sinned against God, but we have this warning from the NT, ‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him’ (John 3:36).

Also, ‘the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth’ (Rom. 1:18).

Therefore, all who do not experience eternal life through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will experience the wrath of God.

Oz
 

keras

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[SIZE=12pt]Psalm 94:1-7 God of vengeance, Lord, rise and judge the earth! Repay the arrogant as they deserve! Lord, how long will the ungodly peoples continue? Evildoers are full of boasting and they oppress Your chosen peoples. They damage Your Holy Land and commit murder against the righteous, saying: their God does not see, He pays no heed. Nahum 1:2[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Psalm 94:8-11 Take heed yourselves, most stupid of people, you fools, can you not understand that He who fashioned the ear can hear and the eye can see? Does He who instructs the nations not correct them? The Teacher of mankind has all knowledge and he knows the thoughts of everyone, He knows they how futile they are. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Psalm 94:12-15 Happy are the ones whom You discipline, Lord, and instruct in Your Laws. You grant them relief from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the ungodly. The Lord will not abandon His people, or forsake His chosen nation, for justice will again be joined to righteousness and all who are upright in heart will follow it.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Psalm 94:16-19 Who will rise up for Me against the ungodly and take a stand against the evildoers? If You, Lord, had not been my helper, I would have died, when I made mistakes, You helped and supported me. When anxious thoughts filled my heart, Your comfort brought me joy.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Psalm 94:20-23 Can corrupt justice be allied with You? Those who conspire mischief under the cover of the law, try to condemn the innocent, but You, my God, are my Rock and refuge. The Lord will repay them for their sins and destroy then for their wickedness. The Lord, our God will judge them and take vengeance for their misdeeds.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Psalm 97:1-9 The Lord reigns, righteousness and justice are His foundation. The heavens proclaim Him and all peoples can see His glory. Cloud and thick darkness enfold Him, fire goes ahead of Him and consumes His enemies on every side. His lightning flash lights up the world, the earth sees and trembles. Mountains melt like wax at His approach, Zion hears and all her cities are happy at Your judgements. Let the earth be glad, those in the coasts and islands rejoice! He is in control, may all who worship false idols be put to shame, for You, our God, are far above all other gods. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Psalm 97:10-12 The Lord loves those who hate evil, He keeps His loyal servants safe and delivers them from the power of the wicked. A harvest of light comes upon the righteous and joy to the upright in heart. You that are righteous, rejoice in the Lord and praise His Holy Name.[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] Reference: REB,NIV. Some verses condensed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] ‘The Lord will rise and judge the earth’, in His great and terrible Day of vengeance and wrath. Zephaniah 1:14-18, Revelation 6:12-17 This will be a worldwide event, a fire judgement - quite different and years before the battle at Armageddon, where a visible Jesus kills the army of the Anti- Christ. What is described above, is the Lord’s punishment on the enemy nations – ‘they fall into a pit of their own making’. Psalm 7:15-16 The Lord is not seen at this time, therefore it must be before His Return in glory. Psalm 18:7-15, Isaiah 63:1-6, Isaiah 66:15-16, Amos 1:1-15, Hebrews 10:27 [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]‘The Holy Land is happy at His judgements’. All the godless peoples are gone, but ‘His loyal servants are kept safe, they will rejoice and praise Him’, as they go and live in all the Holy Land, the new nation of Beulah. Isaiah 62:1-5, Ezekiel 34:11-31 [/SIZE]
 

blessedhope

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While observing God’s correcting Hand throughout the Scriptures, one can quickly acknowledge that the Lord does not judge the righteous with the wicked. They are always judged separately.
God’s judgments and/or wrath often gets confused with human persecution or Satan's attacks and for many this is the main reason for their misunderstanding when thinking that the Church is going to have to go through the judgmental period of the seven-year Tribulation.
Many are already very familiar with the parallel of the story of Lot having to be removed from Sodom before the Lord could destroy the city and how it is a picture of how the Church will have to be removed before the Lord will execute His judgment upon the earth (see Genesis 19:1-29).
In the previous chapter the Lord even confirmed to Abraham that He would not destroy the righteous with the wicked when Abraham asked the question.
“And Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’” (Genesis 18:23-25).
Notice that Abraham appealed to God's character when he acknowledged Him as a Righteous Judge! The Lord's response to this was that he would not even destroy the city for the sake of ten and we would later find out that Lot was the only righteous man in that city (2 Peter 2:7).
The Lord was gracious enough to spare him and his family, however, we should take note that when Lot went to gather his two sons-in-laws, they would not leave due to their unbelief (Genesis 19:14). The text says that they perceived that Lot was joking. How many people today view the concept of the Rapture as a joke, or mock the Pre-Tribulation view as an escapist fantasy?
Later on in the Bible when ancient Israel turned their backs on the Lord and worshipped the gods of the heathen nations around them, the Lord’s patience and anger eventually ran out and it came time that the nation of Israel could no longer represent the Lord so he turned them over to their enemies to be destroyed.
But before the judgment came, the Lord made sure that there were no righteous men in the path of His wrath, honoring His confirmation that he made to Abraham that He does not judge the righteous with the wicked. This wonderful character of our Lord is recorded by several of the prophets who were prophesying during that time.
 

keras

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Unfortunatly for your theory, Blessedhope, the Bible refutes you. It is God's judgement that sorts out the wicked from the righteous. Jesus is coming in fire to clear His threshing floor. Luke 3:17
And in Ezekiel 20:4, at the forthcoming Day of the Lord's wrath; The Lord will make away with the righteous and wicked alike......In Israel only.
Luke 21:34-35 Be alert.....that Day will come like a trap, upon everyone the world over.
 

keras

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OzSpen, you should read the responses to my earlier posts. Gross verbal abuse and denigration from those whose beliefs are challenged.
Just what the prophesy of old had to put up with, but they endured physical injury and death as well, so I'm lucky. However if I did receive adulation and financial rewards, then I would know I was on the wrong track!

I post scriptures that clearly state what the Lord plans to do. Calling it garbage, refuting it or simply ignoring Bible truths is a serious matter and may result in future difficulties.