“And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us
and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the
throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.”
(Revelation 6:16)
Thoughts… There will be a divine payday, someday!
God’s justice demands it. The blood of the righteous prophets who were murdered simply for being God’s voice to wayward nations demands it. The untold millions of believers who have been martyred for their faith in Christ demands it. The thousands of years of indescribable and unnecessary human suffering perpetrated by the greed and arrogance of corrupt rulers and evil world systems demands it. The wanton and flagrant disregard for the laws of God demands it. The humiliation and murder of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, demands it.
And it is coming. One day Christ will return, and prior to establishing his eternal reign, will administer divine justice. The righteous wrath of God will be finally and fully leveled at both the systemic as well as the specific wickedness that has ruled this world since the fall of Adam, and righteousness will be vindicated.
It will not be a pretty sight. Just read the description here in Revelation 6: War on a scale humanity has never seen before, economic devastation, famine, pandemic disease, ecologic upheaval that will make global warming seem like child’s play.
Anyone who reads this will shudder at the horror that will be visited upon the earth. No right-minded person wants to see this inflicted upon this present world. And yet there is a part of us that knows intuitively that the evil of this world system and the wickedness of mankind has it coming.
So as Christians who read about the wrath of God to come, what should our response be? One, it ought to cause even greater motivation to share the Good News with those who are lost. God has made a way for sinners to escape the coming judgment. That has always been a vital piece of the Good News—and it needs to be shared unapologetically.
Two, God’s coming wrath ought to cause us to live soberly in the here and now. Peter reminds us, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (II Peter 3:11-14)
And three, reading of God’s imminent wrath ought to produce greater gratitude that those of us in Christ Jesus will be shielded from such unbearable times. John writes in Revelation 3:10, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” Praise God, we who are in Christ get a pass!
Yes—there is a divine payday, someday. We’d be wise not to forget!
Prayer… Father, I am so grateful that through Christ, I am preserved from your coming wrath. In truth, I deserve it! But the spear of your righteous anger was instead plunged into Christ’s breast. And I will be eternally in your debt for that.
One More Thing… “When the author walks on the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right…something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise…it will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up.” — C.S. Lewis
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