The Wrath of God
By Mike Taylor
Have you ever heard someone say to you in light of a terrible tragedy, “Why would God allow such evil to exist in the world?” Many turn away from God and disavow Him as they cannot understand how there can be evil in the world, and a Holy God that co-exists or allows such evil.
Many do not believe
in God as they
cannot understand
how this can be, so
they theorize,
“There is no God.”
I spoke of a fellow
that I called, Mr.
Frosty (some of you
will remember him).
He believes there is
no God as there is
so much pain and
suffering in the
world. Why is this
man an atheist?
People like him try
to get their minds
around a word that
identifies this
problem and the word
is: theodicy. What
is theodicy?
According to the
dictionary the
meaning is this:
Theodicy from Greek
theos – “god” + dike
– “justice”) is a
theological and
philosophical study
which attempts to
prove possible God's
intrinsic or
foundational nature
of omnibenevolence
(all-loving),
omniscience
(all-knowing), and
omnipotence
(all-powerful). The
fundamental dilemma
of theodicy is the
problem of evil: its
continuing existence
and God’s apparent
inability or
unwillingness to
eradicate it.
(Wikipedia)
These unbelievers do
not understand when
they say, “Why does
God allow, if there
be a God, evil in
this world?” Or,
“Why does God not
make men that do not
sin if He’s so
powerful?” Do they
not understand that
He has made such
creatures? They are
called cows and
horses. Do you want
to be a cow or a
horse? Of course
not, we are men and
women and God as our
Creator gave us one
thing that we are
endowed with:
LIBERTY also called,
“free will choice.”
You will find this
concept in an
unlikely place,
which defines what
we enjoy and adhere
to. It is found in
the pledge of
allegiance:
“I pledge allegiance
to the flag, of the
United States of
America and to the
Republic, for which
it stands, one
nation, Under God,
indivisible, with
liberty and justice
for all.” (The U.S.
and God are
intertwined and
cannot be
separated.)
IN THE BEGINNING
In the beginning,
God made man with
free will. He was
made with a free
moral character to
choose either to
following God, the
Creator, or the god
of this world. In a
nutshell, he was
free to choose
between good or
evil. But on the
heels of what men
choose in liberty,
there is enacted
righteous justice.
Men believe
erroneously of a god
of their
imagination, not the
clearly defined God
of the Bible. They
do not understand
the distinction of a
God of judgment, a
God of justice, nor
a God of consuming
fire that is a
direct result of
that liberty.
LIBERTY TO DO EVIL
Let us go back and
examine several
groups of people who
by their own free
will did evil and
reaped judgment for
their actions. I
will try and show
the error of their
ways and how it
applies to us, even
today. In the time
of the Moses and
before, the Hebrew
people became a
great nation. Fear
fell upon the heart
of Pharaoh and the
leaders of Egypt to
deal with a growing
problem. They were
fearful that the
Hebrew nation would
become so, large,
that Egypt would be
overrun by them and
eventually the
Egyptians could be
defeated in battle
by their alignment
with an invading
army. You’ll find
this story in Exodus
chapter 1, but let’s
look at a few
defining verses:
Exodus 1:15-16:
“And the king of
Egypt spake to the
Hebrew midwives, of
which the name of
the one was
Shiphrah, and the
name of the other
Puah: And he said,
When ye do the
office of a midwife
to the Hebrew women,
and see them upon
the stools; if it be
a son, then ye shall
kill him: but if it
be a daughter, then
she shall live.”
But the midwives
feared God and did
not do as the
Pharaoh had ruled,
but saved them
alive. Then in verse
22, Pharaoh decreed
this:
“And Pharaoh charged
all his people,
saying, ‘Every son
that is born ye
shall cast into the
river, and every
daughter ye shall
save alive.’”
What the Egyptians
did was cast every
male child that was
born, or some
believe that it
included any of an
age under two, to be
cast into the Nile
for the crocodiles.
Why was this allowed
to happen? Our God
is a God of
imparting liberty.
If man is not
allowed to do evil
in the name of
liberty, then he is
not free at all, but
judgment was coming
and it started with
the first plague
given to Moses
against the
Egyptians.
Exodus chapter
7:20-21:
“So Moses and Aaron
did even as the LORD
had commanded. And
he lifted up the
staff and struck the
water that flowed in
the Nile, in the
sight of Pharaoh and
in the sight of his
servants, and all
the water that
flowed in the Nile
turned to blood. The
fish that lived in
the Nile died, and
the Nile became
foul, so that the
Egyptians could not
drink water from the
Nile. And the blood
flowed through all
the land of Egypt.
This was the
beginning of
judgment upon a
people who had
killed innocent
babies by throwing
them to crocodiles,
and God gave them
blood to drink. It
was a sign of
judgment upon this
evil. God gave the
Egyptians ample time
to repent of their
sins and turn from
their ways, but
Pharaoh’s heart was
hardened, as justice
was being done, and
judgment had already
been decided against
Egypt for their evil
in God’s eyes.
During the final
plague against
Egypt, a messenger
from God, a death
angel, came into the
streets of Egypt and
killed all first
born male children
that were not
protected by the
blood of a lamb upon
the post and lintels
of their doors, a
sign of the coming
Messiah.
Exodus chapter
11:4-6:
“Moses said, “Thus
says the LORD,
‘About midnight I
will go out into the
midst of Egypt, and
all the firstborn in
the land of Egypt
shall die, from the
firstborn of the
Pharaoh who sits on
his throne, even to
the firstborn of the
slave girl who works
behind the
millstones; all the
firstborn of the
cattle as well.
‘Moreover, there
shall come forth a
great cry in all the
land of Egypt, such
as no one has ever
heard before and
such as shall never
shall come again.’”
Then in Chapter 12
of Exodus, the death
angel came, as God
told Moses, but the
children of Israel
were saved, because
of the blood, a sign
of salvation:
Exodus 12.12-13:
“For I will go
through the land of
Egypt on that night,
and will strike down
all the firstborn in
the land of Egypt,
both man and beast;
and against all the
gods of Egypt I will
execute judgments--
I Proclaim myself
the LORD. The blood
shall serve as a
sign for you on the
houses where you
live; and when I see
the blood I will
pass over you, and
no plague will
befall you to
destroy you when I
strike the land of
Egypt.” (The blood
was a foreshadow of
the sacrifice of our
Lord Jesus Christ.)
You ask, why didn’t
God just whisk these
Hebrew people out of
the land of Egypt,
instead of killing
all the Egyptian
first born? The
answer is justice.
Judgment had been
passed on Egypt for
the crimes against
their fellow man and
the murders of the
innocent. Because of
their free will, God
allowed them to have
liberty, to do good
or evil, but in His
righteous judgment,
He enacted justice.
JUDGMENT AGAINST
ISRAEL
This is a story that
I cannot fathom, but
it happened. After
all the acts of God
and His
righteousness, the
people of Israel
became ensnared with
the evil of this
world, and by having
liberty, did evil in
the sight of a Holy
God. But judgment
came, as Jeremiah
prophesied to them,
and it came to pass.
You may find this
sad state of affairs
in Jeremiah chapter
19. Jeremiah had
been instructed by
God in a two-way
conversation to
bring the elders and
the priest down to
the Valley of
Ben-hinnom. This was
a place of 24-hour
fires, burning
refuse, and dead
bodies. It was like
their city dump; it
was there that
Jeremiah prophesied
what God was about
do to them for their
evil:
Jeremiah 19:4-13:
“Because they have
forsaken Me and have
made this an alien
place and have
burned sacrifices in
it to other gods,
that neither they
nor their
forefathers nor the
kings of Judah had
ever known, and
because they have
filled this place
with the blood of
the innocent [babies
and children] and
have built the high
places of Baal to
burn their sons in
the fire as burnt
offerings to Baal, a
thing which I never
commanded or spoke
of, nor did it ever
enter My mind;
therefore, behold,
‘Days will come,’
declares the LORD,
‘When this place
will no longer have
the name Topheth or
the valley of
Ben-hinnom, but
rather the valley of
Slaughter.
I will make void the
counsel of Judah and
Jerusalem in this
place, and I will
cause them to fall
by the sword before
their enemies and by
the hand of those
who seek their life;
and I will give over
their carcasses as
food for the birds
of the sky and the
beasts of the earth.
I will also make
this city a
desolation and an
object of hissing;
everyone who passes
by it will feel
astonished and hiss
because of all its
disasters. I will
make them eat the
flesh of their sons
and the flesh of
their daughters, and
they will eat one
another's flesh in
the siege and in the
distress with which
their enemies and
those who seek their
life will distress
them.
Then you will break
the jar in the sight
of the men who
accompany you and
say to them,’ thus
says the LORD of
hosts, ‘Just so will
I break this people
and this city, even
as one breaks a
potter's vessel,
which no one cannot
again repair; and
they will bury in
Topheth because they
can find no other
place for burial.
I will treat this
place and its
inhabitants like
this,” declares the
LORD, ‘So as to make
this city like
Topheth. The houses
of Jerusalem and the
houses of the kings
of Judah will become
defiled like the
place Topheth,
because of all the
houses on whose
rooftops they burned
sacrifices to all
the heavenly host
and poured out drink
offerings to other
gods.’”
I spoke of this in
past sermons that
Israel erected pagan
idols and Asheroth
poles, even in the
very temple of God
and had taken on the
practices of Baal
worshipers around
them by killing
their sons and
daughters on pagan
altars and deluded
themselves that this
was an acceptable
way of giving
Jehovah praise and
worship. God had
given them liberty
to do this evil, but
being a God of
long-suffering and
allowing men free
will, there came a
time when judgment
and justice was
enacted on this evil
among a nation that
was designed to be
an example to all
other nations around
them, or a nation of
priest, a holy
nation. How far did
they fall from their
glorious intent of
Almighty God? They
fell to the pit and
their eventual
destruction as a
nation.
FLASH FORWARD TO
MODERN TIMES
In our history of
“modern” times, we
have experienced men
who have killed
other men in war and
desire for conquest.
I think on WWII, and
Hitler’s delusional
desire to cleanse
the earth of
inferior races of
men and produce an
Aryan race of super
men. This was dealt
with by the allied
nations to the total
destruction of
Germany and the
Third Reich. Why?
Because of: justice.
Because of six
million Jewish
people, not to
mention millions of
what was deemed
inferior examples of
the human race were
slaughtered by an
evil tyrant. God
allowed this maniac
to exist and to
cause untold
suffering, but in
the end, that
liberty to do evil
was met with
righteous judgment,
and Hitler and his
armies were utterly
destroyed. BUT...
There is coming a
day that may not be
too far off, when
evil men will do
even more evil to
good people. History
shows many instances
of atrocities exist
(more than what was
mentioned above),
coming against good
people by evil men
who were given the
liberty to do this
evil. The coming
period I speak of is
known as the
Tribulation, which
flows into the Great
Tribulation. Each
combined to be a
total of 7 years. In
Revelation we see a
picture of evil that
has slain many
Christians from time
innumerable.
Revelation 6:9-11:
“When the Lamb broke
the fifth seal, I
saw underneath the
altar the souls of
those who had become
slain because of the
word of God, and
because of the
testimony which they
had maintained; and
they cried out with
a loud voice,
saying, “How long, O
Lord, holy and true,
will You refrain
from judging and
avenging our blood
on those who dwell
on the earth?” And
each of them
received a white
robe; and they
learned that they
should rest for a
little while longer,
until the number of
their fellow
servants and their
brethren who would
suffer martyrdom
even as they had
been, would come to
completion also.”
There have been good
men and women down
through the ages, (I
recall the Spanish
Inquisition and the
Dark Ages of
Catholic dominance
and religious
cleansing of all who
would not bow before
the Pope in Rome),
that have died
because of their
faith and judgment
has been withheld
for their crimes.
John spoke of a time
when more people
will be killed for
the profession of
the Name of Jesus
Christ. As the
verses and chapters
progress seal after
seal is broken.
Trumpet after
trumpet is blown and
bowl judgment upon
bowl judgment is
poured out upon this
earth in preparation
for the coming
Kingdom of God.
One thing I wish you
to ponder, does the
blood of people
slain only apply to
Christians who were
slain? Is not the
destruction of many
innocents, as was
done in the
preceding examples
describe what is
going on right now
in our own land of
the free? There is a
wholesale
destruction of an
entire class of
people—the unborn.
Is the USA ripe for
judgment and divine
justice? I believe
we are on the cusp
if right now.
We read about the
plight of whole
groups of people who
die in martyrdom in
other lands around
the globe, but are
we not doing the
exact same thing
that Jeremiah
prophesied to the
land of Israel, or
Moses to the land of
Egypt? Have we not
spilled the blood of
the innocent who had
no right to choose?
It’s enough to make
a person rise up to
take vengeance. I
understand the
emotions of people
who wish to stamp
out abortion clinics
but is it our place
to enact vengeance?
My Bible says it is
not.
Romans 12:19
(ASV):
“Avenge not
yourselves, beloved,
but give place unto
the wrath `of God':
for it is written,
Vengeance belongeth
unto me; I will
recompense, saith
the Lord.
And wrath is what is
coming is spoken of
in Romans 1:19-20:
“For the wrath of
God is revealed from
heaven against all
ungodliness and
unrighteousness of
men, who hold the
truth in
unrighteousness;
because that which
may be known of God
is manifest in them;
for God hath shewed
it unto them. For
the invisible things
of him from the
creation of the
world are clearly
seen, being
understood by the
things that are
made, even his
eternal power and
Godhead; so that
they are without
excuse:
Again, a warning in
Revelation chapter
6:15-17:
“And the kings of
the earth, and the
great men, and the
rich men, and the
chief captains, and
the mighty men, and
every bondman, and
every free man, hid
themselves in the
dens and in the
rocks of the
mountains; and said
to the mountains and
rocks, Fall on us,
and hide us from the
face of him that
sitteth on the
throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of
his wrath is come;
and who shall be
able to stand?”
Never underestimate
the coming judgment.
It is blossoming in
all its unspeakable
horror all around
us, and it will only
get worse. We see
the terror of
Christians in the
Middle East, who are
beheaded by Muslim
fanatics, or women
stoned for their
insane description
of belief in their
Koran to do so. Men
killing other men,
and we wonder if the
Tribulation is here
already.
Is it? No, but this
is just a warm up of
what is coming, as
it will be world
wide, not just a
local atrocity in
the Middle East, but
coming to every
continent on this
earth. But that is
at the hands of men.
This coming time
period we call
Tribulation, is not
to be compared with
the evil committed
by men. No, this
coming time period
is justice and
righteous
indignation of the
wrath of God that
will make everything
else concerning the
death of men, pale
in comparison.
I have spoken of
this in times past,
but if you take the
Scriptures spoken of
in Revelation and
the amount of death
of entire
populations of the
earth combined of
the approximately 7
billion people on
this earth right
now, close to 75% of
them will be
destroyed in God’s
wrath...that is
estimating 5-6
billion people
killed by God’s
coming wrath. And
who can blame God
for doing so? God
has been patient for
6000 years for Man
to turn to God and
follow His
commandments.
He even sent His
only begotten Son as
a substitute for the
penalty that we all
deserve, which is
death. But the
world, at large has
rejected His
salvation found in
His only Son. God’s
patience appears to
be running out, as
the signs and
symptoms of a coming
Tribulation is
growing louder and
louder, and the
pangs earth’s
redemption from sin
through excising
rebellion from this
earth, much as a
surgeon uses a
scalpel to remove
dead and decaying
flesh, is fast
approaching.
Galatians 6:7-8:
“Be not deceived;
God is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall
he also reap.
For he that
soweth to his flesh
shall of the flesh
reap corruption; but
he that soweth to
the Spirit shall of
the Spirit reap life
everlasting.”
All who have
committed evil in
the sight of God
will meet a sure and
righteous justice.
Christians, make
yourself ready to
meet thy God:
Psalm 50:1-5:
“The Mighty One,
God, the LORD, has
spoken, and summoned
the earth from the
rising of the sun to
its setting. Out of
Zion, the perfection
of beauty, God has
shone forth. May our
God come and not
keep silence; Fire
devours before Him,
and it is very
tempestuous around
Him. He summons the
heavens above, and
the earth, to judge
His people: Gather
My godly ones to Me,
Those who have made
a covenant with Me
by sacrifice.”
God’s Word speaks of
sacrifice. Have you
made a sacrifice to
God? He is not
speaking of the
animal sacrifice of
bulls and goats that
foreshadowed the
perfect sacrifice
that was nailed to a
Roman Cross almost
2000 years ago. That
sacrifice was the
perfect Lamb of God,
Jesus the Messiah.
If you have accepted
Jesus as your
personal Savior,
been baptized, and
follow His example,
then you have made
the perfect
Sacrifice before
God.
You who have
accepted Jesus
Christ as Lord of
your life, you have
been covered with
the blood, which God
imparts
righteousness to
you, because of Him.
We wait for the
adoption process to
be completed. We
have the down
payment of God’s
Holy Spirit residing
with our spirit, but
we wait for the
adoption, to be born
of the Spirit.
How do we know this?
Romans chapter
8:16-23:
“The Spirit itself
beareth witness with
our spirit, that we
are the children of
God: And if
children, then
heirs; heirs of God,
and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be
that we suffer with
him, that we may be
also glorified
together. For I
reckon that the
sufferings of this
present time are not
worthy to be
compared with the
glory, which shall
be revealed in us.
For the earnest
expectation of the
creature waiteth for
the manifestation of
the sons of God.
For the creature was
made subject to
vanity, not
willingly, but by
reason of him who
hath subjected the
same in hope,
because the creature
itself also shall be
delivered from the
bondage of
corruption into the
glorious liberty of
the children of God.
For we know that the
whole creation
groaneth and
travaileth in pain
together until now.
And not only they,
but ourselves also,
which have the first
fruits of the
Spirit, even we
ourselves groan
within ourselves,
waiting for the
adoption, to wit,
the redemption of
our body.”
You and I were given
liberty to choose
the god of this
world, or cast it
off and believe in
the only Begotten
Son of God, who
takes away the sins
of the world. You
who have believed
and exercised your
faith that to you,
it became so simple,
so easy that you
cannot understand
why not all of the
world doesn’t see
it…very simple
reason, liberty.
1 Corinthians
chapter 1:1-25:
“For the preaching
of the cross is to
them that perish
foolishness; but
unto us which are
saved it is the
power of God. For it
is written, I will
destroy the wisdom
of the wise, and
will bring to
nothing the
understanding of the
prudent.
Where is the wise?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the
disputer of this
world? Hath not God
made foolish the
wisdom of this
world? For after
that in the wisdom
of God the world by
wisdom knew not God,
it pleased God by
the foolishness of
preaching to save
them that believe.
For the Jews require
a sign, and the
Greeks seek after
wisdom: But we
preach Christ
crucified, unto the
Jews a stumbling
block, and unto the
Greeks foolishness;
but unto them which
are called, both
Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of
God, and the wisdom
of God. Because the
foolishness of God
is wiser than men;
and the weakness of
God is stronger than
men.”
You who read these
warnings and
examples of the
coming wrath of
Almighty God, where
do you stand? You,
like all of us, have
been given liberty
to choose. Will you
stand for good or
evil, life or death?
To choose this life
and all its
trappings of sinful
pleasure, is to
choose death, but to
give your heart and
soul to the Creator
of your soul and
spirit, by believing
on the only Begotten
Son of God, is to
choose life.
It is a free will
decision. God will
not beat you about
the head into
submission and He
will not wait
forever. He wants
you to fall in love
with Him and follow
Him out of your own
free will choice,
not out of coercion,
but because you see
Him as He is,
Almighty God and you
long to be with Him
and return to Him
that gave you life,
and He will grant
you life eternal!
Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For by grace are ye
saved through faith;
and that not of
yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not
of works, lest any
man should boast.”
And again, Paul tell
us about what our
Lord did for you and
I in Romans chapter
5.8-11:
“For when we were
yet without
strength, in due
time Christ died for
the ungodly. For
scarcely for a
righteous man will
one die: yet
peradventure for a
good man some would
even dare to die.
But God commendeth
his love toward us,
in that, while we
were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Much more then,
being now justified
by his blood we
shall be saved from
wrath through him.
For if, when
we were enemies, we
were reconciled to
God by the death of
his Son, much more,
being reconciled, we
shall be saved by
his life. And not
only so, but we also
joy in God through
our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we
have now received
the atonement.”
Take that God given
liberty, your free
will choice and make
that commitment to
follow Him, Jesus
Christ, wherever He
may lead you. Do it
today, as to stand
before Almighty God
without being
clothed in the
righteousness of His
Son, Jesus Christ at
judgment day will
convict you to
receive: THE WRATH
OF GOD!
This is Pastor Mike
Taylor, wishing
God’s love and
salvation through
the shed blood of
His Son to come into
your life. If you
have a need, a
prayer request or
need counseling in
biblical Christian
living email me at
realteam1999@sbcglobal.net.
OR visit me online
at:
www.churchofgod-usa.org.
God bless you, till
we meet at Jesus’
feet.
