'THE WRATH OF GOD-WHAT IS IT'S PURPOSE?'
The wrath of God which is the Day of the
Lord has a three-fold purpose. First of all, the wrath of God fully vindicates
God's justice and righteousness upon the ungodly Gentiles through His pouring
out of His Day of the Lord judgments upon the people of the nations existing at
the end of the age.
'But the heavens
and the earth, which are now, by the same Word (of God) are kept in store,
reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.'
(II Peter 3:7) 'And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues
yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship
devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which
neither can see, not hear, nor walk; Neither repented they of their murders,
not of their sorceries, nor of their
fornication, not of their thefts. (Revelation 9:20, 21)
God destroyed the earth through the universal
flood of Noah's day bringing His judgment upon the ungodly of the entire world
for it is written of men in that day:
'God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of thoughts of his heart was only evil continually...And the Lord
said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth"
(Genesis 6:5,7) His judgment came
also upon the two wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) in like
manner in the days of Lot illustrating this same principle and purpose of God's
righteous judgment upon the ungodly.
Secondly, God's wrath, the Day of the Lord
judgment will be poured out upon the ungodly nation of Israel to purge
them of their sin. Isaiah 1:24-28
explains:
'Therefore, saith
the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease Me of
Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of Mine enemies: And I will turn My hand upon
thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: and I will
restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning;
afterward thou shall be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. And
the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and
they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.' Purging the nation of Israel
from their sin will be necessary in that day before the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Deliverer can come and save them in one day.
Third and coincidental with the purging
process is the penalty and judgment of Israel 'to make reconciliation for their iniquity' (Daniel 9:24). This
pivotal passage of prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) reveals the necessity for the
reconciliation of Israel. Their sin must be purged and the penalty must be paid
for the transgression of the Jewish people:
'And it shall come to pass, that in all the
land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die, but the third
shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and
will refine them as silver is refined,
and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on My name, and I will hear
them; I will say, It is My people; and they shall say , The Lord is my God.'
(Zechariah 13:8, 9)
God's unprecedented wrath during the Day
of the Lord judgments as described by the Old Testament prophets and New
Testament writers alike will be intensely devastating and destructive, but, the
designed purposes of God are clearly seen in His Word. His eternal purposes
will be accomplished. He alone will be exalted in that day as He brings about
His three purposes for this horrendous time of fiery judgment!
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