What is the wrath of God?

Against all this evil, disclosed by the testing of man, the wrath of God is revealed. The Cross that demonstrates the righteousness of God to save the sinner that believes, also demonstrates the wrath of God against sin. It is the wrath of God revealed from heaven, and it is against all impiety and unrighteousness. In Old Testament days God's wrath was revealed in governmental judgments that overtook certain individuals, or nations, because of certain sins committed against the partial light that they had. Now it is no longer a limited expression of wrath according to what man is on earth, but wrath revealed according to the holy nature of God in heaven; and it is against all sin, wherever that sin may be found.

If, in the gospel, we have the full setting forth of the righteousness of God that can save, we have, at the same time, the revelation of the wrath of God against sin. God's righteousness in saving does not in the slightest degree set aside God's wrath against sin. On the contrary, the revelation of the power of God that can righteously save the greatest sinner, becomes the occasion of fully declaring the wrath of God against all sin. On our side we can afford to face the full revelation of the wrath of God against sins, if we know there is righteousness with God to forgive sins. The wrath is not yet executed, for God is acting in grace, but it is revealed.

So wrath of God from heaven; it is not human wrath or justice on earth ending there in its nature and quality, nor even divine wrath exercised in an earthly way by earthly instruments. It is divine from heaven.

The wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men is plainly declared in scripture, and will surely fall upon the children of disobedience. Rom. 1:18; Col. 3:6. The fierceness of that wrath is spoken of. Rev. 16:19. How vain then for the false teachers to speak only of the love of God, and to say that because 'God is love' there will be mercy for all eventually. There is grace for all now, but there is as surely a day of wrath coming, for God is righteous.

He is the Object of faith, and therefore the test of every man. To believe on Him is to become possessed of life eternal. To refuse the subjection of faith to Him is to be excluded from life and lie under the wrath of God.

The words, "shall not see life," negative universal reconciliation, which declares that in some way or other all shall ultimately see it. The theory of conditional immortality, which means the annihilation of impenitent unbelievers, is negatived by the fact that the wrath of God "abides" on such — therefore they exist abidingly.

If the wrath of God abides on the unbeliever, as Scripture states, there must be the unbeliever for it to abide on. There can be no getting out of the plain meaning of these words. If the unbeliever is annihilated the wrath of God cannot abide on what does not exist.

Refusing to repent, man treasures up wrath against the day of wrath. Not only does man call down wrath by his evil, but also because he despises the goodness of God that would meet the evil. All this will become manifest to the unrepentant in the day of wrath. In the goodness of God that day may be long delayed, none the less it is surely coming — an actual day when God's judgment — not man's, will be revealed and executed.

At infinite cost to Himself, God has provided a way of escape, even through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ who bore all the wrath of God against sin and making full atonement for it.

All that separated us from God is entirely put away — death, the wrath of God, the power of Satan, sin, disappear, as far as we are concerned, in virtue of the work of Christ; and He is made to us that righteousness which is our title to heavenly glory.

There is the unsparing wrath of God against the sin, but God's perfect love to the sinner. There His majesty, which we insulted, is vindicated: even the Son bows to that.

These judgments are referred to as "the seven last plagues" that will precede the appearing of Christ, and we are told that "in them is filled up the wrath of God."

As we read of these terrible judgments that will fall upon the sphere of Christendom, how solemn to realise that in the very portion of the world in which our lot is cast, and which for centuries has enjoyed the outward privileges of Christianity and where the grace of God in the gospel has been proclaimed, there the great apostasy will develop and there the wrath of God as expressed in these vials will be poured out.

The doom of the unsaved is determined in the present life also, and if men ignore it here, the spirit returning to God cannot remain ignorant. It is a "spirit in prison," already with the consciousness of wrath upon it... This is the rich man's portion, where the wrath of God is the consuming fire by which he is tormented.