Wrath of God Part 2

Rom 1:18

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;(KJV)

Last week we got into the idea of the wrath of God being expressed through enemy armies. This week, I want to touch on another area--nature. There are times God used nature to express His wrath. I don’t believe it is all instances of natural disasters, but definitely some of them. Here is my reasoning behind this belief.

Looking at scripture, we see for instance the people of Israel getting bitten by snakes. Snakes are one of nature’s creatures, and in nature we sometimes see plagues of animals affecting people. Now in the case cited above about the snakes–God sent those snakes as a punishment to the people of Israel.

Num 21:6

6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.(KJV)

Obviously these animals were either poisonous or the next thing to it because there were so many people who died from the bites. We don’t know what kind of snakes God used, but there are several species in the middle east that are poisonous.

Why did God send these serpents, these snakes? Look at

Num 21:5

5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

(KJV)

So we see the reason God sent these snakes was because they were speaking against God and against his appointed leader. They were complaining. Stop and think a minute. Here they were being punished, God’s wrath was poured out on them for —complaining!-- for speaking against Moses and against God. What does that tell you about God’s attitude toward complaining? I hope it stops you from complaining. If you tend to complain, now you know how God feels about it and know it is time to stop doing that. It will take practice catching yourself and stopping yourself, but if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, God has given you the power to make that change. If you doubt that complaining is such a bad thing, look at the following verses.

1 Cor 10:10

10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

(KJV)

James 1:26

26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.(KJV)

James 3:6

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.(KJV)

James 3:14-16

14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.(KJV)

Gal 5:15

15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

(KJV)

Jude 1:14-16

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.(KJV)

Phil 2:14

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:(KJV)

1 Pet 4:9

9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.(NAS)

Now these are just New Testament scriptures. I could give you lots more from the Old Testament, but I think I have made my point. So if you have been a complainer, murmurer, etc., just throw that out of your life. I don’t expect God will send a snake to bite you, but He may decide to do something to let you know He doesn’t like that behaviour, and it doesn’t have to be a physical thing He has to do, it can be something entirely different. You see God disciplines those He loves, and His wrath is poured upon unbelievers-those who reject His Testimony and Testator.

John 3:36

36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.(KJV)

The verse up in John is Jesus’ words.

Now other examples of God using nature to express His wrath.

Deut 11:17

17 And then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.(KJV)

We tend to think of droughts as natural. Well God used draughts at times to express His wrath at the people of Israel. As a matter of fact, God used a drought-3 years long-on the Northern Kingdom of Israel as a punishment for the idolatry of the people. One instance is recorded in Jeremiah.

Jer 14:1-7

1 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.

2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

3 And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

4 Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.

5 Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.

6 And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.

7 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.(KJV)

Another instance:

2 Sam 24:12-13

12 Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.(KJV) [David was actually given a choice as to the punishment the whole nation or he was to receive on account of a sin of David. David had to choose between the 3 choices.]

Another instance: Read Haggai 1:7-11 for what happened to the people after they had returned to Jerusalem.

So this should tell you that droughts are sometimes brought on by God because of sin.

There are all kinds of natural disasters that God has brought about as an expression of His wrath and you see even in the book of Revelation that there are events that from the secular, human standpoint are nothing more than acts of nature, but it is revealed to us that these are not mere acts of nature, but God’s use of nature to bring judgments. Earthquakes fit into this too.

Does God always use a natural disaster from nature to judge people? No, but He does it some of the time. There are natural disasters that have occurred here in the US that I really believe were judgments from God. And the main purpose of the judgments are to call people to repentance. There is one judgment, however, that becomes permanent, and that is the judgment of going to Hell. If you have doubts that God would do that, just ask me to send you a document I have written up that lists scriptures on Jesus’ statements on the subject. Will be glad to send you a copy.

Next week I will get into another form of what I believe is God’s wrath some of the time.

One thing I want you to understand, God’s wrath is not against believers. He disciplines believers using the same types of things He uses for His wrath, but His wrath is not against believers because Jesus took it for us. But for unbelievers, it is God’s wrath in operation.

Have a blessed weekend knowing that God will discipline you only when needed.  The Good News Lady