Gods Wrath and the Tribulation
The Question & some aspects of the Tribulation: Furthermore, we are told in Revelation 16:8-9 & 8:7 that the output of the Sun will increase dramatically so that “mankind will be scorched with fire, and mankind was scorched with great heat … and all the green grass was burnt up.” Additional detail in Isaiah 30:26 indicates the Moon and planets will be significantly brighter as a result. We are in the run-up to those days. Dr. John Eddy documented a rise of ¼% in the Sun’s energy output from 1900 to 1950 in a key paper for a 1976 Solar Conference. Furthermore, during the period when global temperatures were measured as increasing, the amount of ultra-violet light reflected from the Sun by other planets has also been measured as increasing, in line with Biblical prediction. The Bible reminds us that, during that 7-years, even earthquakes will be so strong that “every island and mountain will be moved out of their places,” (Revelation 6:14 & 16:20). Consequently, it becomes apparent that all of our everyday trials, problems, illnesses, tribulations, terror attacks, and even wars and other disasters, pale into insignificance beside those coming in the Great Tribulation. The reason is that this event is not the usual run of tribulations that life inevitably brings. It is not even the corrective punishments that God has administered to His people, like both the Babylonian and Roman destruction of the Temple and the resulting captivity and dispersions. Instead, this is God’s burning wrath poured out in Divine judgement on a corrupt society. We had an illustration of this on a much smaller scale with the geologic firestorm that wiped out the corrupt society of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18 & 19). The difference is that, this time, the whole world is involved, not just a segment of the Jordan valley. Is the Great Tribulation really God’s Wrath? In contrast, the apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 that the Christians are “to wait for God’s Son from heaven…even Jesus who will deliver us from the wrath to come.” He goes on in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 to point out that “God has not appointed us to this wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus suggested the same in Luke 21:36 after talking about the events of the Great Tribulation, “which will come as a snare on all those that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch, therefore, and pray always that you will be accounted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass on the whole earth, and stand [instead] before the Son of Man.” Why is God's Wrath Poured Out? However, the 4-fold reason for the Judgement of the Great Tribulation is given in more detail in Isaiah 24:5-6. To make it clear, we have taken the best wording for this passage from a number of translations including the Alexandrian Septuagint (LXX), the Amplified Bible, and the Living Bible. We will then analyze the 4 points individually.
Analysis of the Reasons for Judgment To bring this right up to date for our own time in the immediate pre-Tribulation era, we turn to the corrupt behavior of mankind listed in Revelation 9:21 that brought on this ‘indignation’ of God: “…because they did not repent of their murders, or their “Pharmakeia” (Greek meaning ‘drug-taking’) or their sexual immorality, or their thefts.” Each of these items is classified as corrupt behavior before God, and each one has become ‘excusable’ or ‘understandable’ or ‘permissible’ in today’s world. Item [2]: “They have disobeyed and twisted his Laws (the 10 commandments).” These were finally codified by God Himself in Exodus 20:1-22 when God spoke these Laws by His own voice (Deuteronomy 5:22-25). As the Creator of heaven and earth He had given us the “manufacturer’s instructions” as to how to behave so that both we and this planet will prosper and run smoothly with minimal problems. In a word, if we obeyed His Laws, we would be blessed. However, what mankind has done with those ten ‘instructions’ or Laws has been to flout them or perversely go in the opposite direction. Then humanity wonders why God either allows this to happen, or does not do anything to fix it. Worse still, they do not understand why God should be angry when the whole system is falling apart because of their disobedience. Item [3]: “They have changed and violated his ordinances and disregarded its statutes.” The word “ordinances,” means something that is set in order. In this case, it is used in terms of what God did in Creation Week in Genesis 1. Thus the “ordinances of heaven” as in Job 38:33 and Jeremiah 31:35-36 & 33:35, relate to the sun, moon and stars whose behavior was defined in Genesis 1:14-18. The other ordinance set in place in Creation Week was on the 5th and 6th Day. This ordinance was the formation of male and female in order to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:20 – 28) with the institution of marriage defined specifically in the same context in Genesis 2:20-24. In this last generation, humanity has gone to extremes in changing and violating this ordinance and totally disregarding His male and female delineation. Furthermore, underage children are being taught these perversions of God’s ordinance. The anger of God in this matter is expressed in Jesus words when he said of such a person “If he were thrown into the sea with a huge rock tied to his neck, he would be better off than facing the punishment in store for those who cause these little ones to do these things. I am warning you!” Item [4]: “They have also broken his everlasting covenant. Therefore, the curse will devour the earth.” There are 15 references to an “everlasting covenant” in the Old Testament; one referred to Messiah on David’s throne; one to the requirements of the Law; one was God’s promise of Israel’s restoration; three were an eternal promise for those who followed God; one was the rainbow covenant with Noah and all flesh never to destroy the whole earth with a flood again; and eight referred to God’s covenant with Abraham which was reiterated throughout the Scriptures. From the fact of its frequent mention in consistent terms, it is concluded this can be the only one being referred to here. This is confirmed by its mention in the prelude to the Nativity in Luke 1:72-73. Here are details from Psalm 105:
In case it is wondered how far the land of the Canaanites extended, the answer can be found in the occasion when God in the shekinah glory walked between the sacrificial pieces that Abram had set out in Genesis 15 and gave another mention of the covenant not listed above. Here is the record:
In actual fact, the situation with this segment of land is a little more complex. Remember that the Bible affirms that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; the world and those that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). However, in exactly the same way that a wealthy land-owner subdivides a large property and allows its occupancy by others, yet retains a key segment for himself, so also has the LORD done likewise. For this reason, it is stated in Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (LXX) that “When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations…He set their boundaries in accord with the Children of Israel. For Jacob became the LORD’s portion and Israel the place of His inheritance.” In other words, the land of Israel was God’s land, and the children of Israel were God’s caretakers for God’s land. In fact, God actually states in Jeremiah 12:14 “For thus says the LORD, concerning all my evil neighbors that touch my inheritance, which I have divided to my people Israel…” So the Lord has a neighbor problem because the other nations surrounding Israel want some of that land for themselves. This attitude is crystallized in Ezekiel 36:5, 8: “Thus says the LORD God: surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the other nations and against all Idumea, because they have taken My land to themselves for a possession with joy and spiteful minds to plunder it…But you, O mountains of Israel, you will shoot forth your branches and yield fruit because My people Israel are about to come [back after world-wide dispersion].” We have seen this happen in the last generation, even though the nation of Israel has only a fraction of that land area. But because the Lord has fulfilled His promise to restore them as His caretakers for His land, anti-Israel sentiment is running high world-wide and is being emphasized by riots and demonstrations in cities around the world. Mankind has broken the covenant to Abraham and wants to expel Israel from the land God has given them. In Genesis 12:3 God said to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and will curse those who curse you; and in you will all the families of the earth blessed.” The corollary is that if all the nations of the earth are cursing Israel and not supporting her, then all the nations will likewise be cursed. As Item [4] concludes: “Therefore the curse will devour the earth.” The New Testament calls it the Tribulation. In Summary, then, God is extremely angry and is about to send His Judgement on the whole earth in this generation because humanity has: We are too late to save our planet from the impending catastrophe. However, the way is still open for individuals to repent and get right with God by accepting the blood-sacrifice that Jesus the Messiah made for our sins, shortcomings, failures and wrong attitudes. This is sketched in Isaiah 53 and the Gospels (Good News) presented in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We commend all this for your consideration. Barry Setterfield – 28th April, 2024.
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