THE GOODNESS AND WRATH OF GOD

“The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” —Ezra 8:22

If someone goes before a judge in the court of law, but has found to have not broken the law but kept it, good would be on him from the judge. But, for the person who goes before that judge as a murderer, thief or rapist, that person will experience the wrath of the judge as he wields his power to sentence the guilty person.

How is it that many people would accept the judge’s actions in the above illustration, but those same people reject that God will judge those evil actions of those who would reject Him? How is it that people can think like this? It is because they are self-deceived and not thinking according to the Word of God. They are believing the lie of Satan— “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). They have come up with their own “belief system” which is what they think should or should not happen. It is not based on fact, but the fictitious thoughts of a mind seeking to do its own will and not the will of God.

According to the verse above, and so many others in the Word of God, God is for good to all those who seek Him and His wrath is on all those who forsake Him. In John 3:18 and 36 we read “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God…. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Anyone who reads God’s Word for themselves and is not manipulated by some false teacher can only come to these conclusions. It is the clear teaching of God’s Word. It is great encouragement to those who sincerely trust the Lord Jesus and a dire warning to those who do not.

What is amazing about the wrath of God is that the Lord Jesus was willing to go to the cross and take the wrath of God on Himself for us. The pure, spotless and sinless Son of God suffered the wrath that we should have suffered. Yet, for all those who truly trust Jesus, they will never experience the wrath of God because Jesus took it in their stead.

Thank You Jesus for taking the wrath that I should have experienced and then for giving me eternal life and the hope of being with You in heaven one day. Heaven, where all things will be right and only those who love You will be there. Thank You for this great love You have for me. I am grateful and desire to live according to Your will and to serve according to Your desires. May it be so!