What do we think of when we hear the word “wrath”? It means great anger, right? But there are different kinds of anger. For instance:

• There is the temper tantrum of a toddler who isn’t getting his own way (and probably needs a nap).
• There is the very-similar anger of adults who are frustrated at not getting their own way (and who could probably use a nap, also 😁).
• There is the anger of a parent at a child who disobeys, especially when doing so puts them in danger ¹.
• There is the righteous indignation we feel when we see injustice.
• There is the rage we feel when someone maliciously harms a loved one.

Finally, there is the wrath that God feels when He sees sin and the destruction it causes. This is not simply God having a temper tantrum because people aren’t obeying Him. His wrath is not a flash of frustration because something isn’t going His way. It’s more a white-hot rage at the forces destroying the people He loves.

What makes God angry? Idolatry. Rebellion. Injustice. Self-righteousness. Pride and arrogance. In a word, sin. All these things are human attempts to reduce God, to keep from acknowledging His authority and power. But He will not — He cannot — be reduced.

Human rulers may need to be taken down a peg or two. They may be wrong in some of their judgments, or have wrong motives that deserve to be rejected. But such things are not true of God. He stands alone, high above all others, and rightfully so. Attempts to reduce Him have no effect on Him, but they do immeasurable harm to us. They separate us from Him. And that makes Him furious.

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God’s Wrath in the Past

God’s wrath was sometimes against specific individuals and situations. Other times, it was against entire nations, especially Judah and Israel for their idolatry. It also came against their enemies, those who oppressed them, even when that oppression was used by God as part of their punishment.

God’s wrath was always controlled, however, and always in proportion to the sin. He would get angry, but would temper His wrath with mercy. He would punish, but would relent as soon as His purpose was accomplished; that is, when the people repented and asked for His help. For those who did not repent (Sodom, Assyria, Babylon, even the northern kingdom of Israel), however, the destruction was complete.

I suggest that you read these passages. They give a good representation of the times that God was angry and punished His people. They also describe punishment against the enemies who hurt those same people, still “His” even though they were so unfaithful. You will see a recurring theme of just how offensive the sin was, and how much right God had to be angry.

But some of those passages also tell of God’s mercy, grace, and restoration after His anger. You can see this balance in Hosea:

So My people are bent on turning from Me.
Though they call them to the One on high,
None at all exalts Him.

How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah ²?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim ³?
My heart is turned over within Me,
All My compassions are kindled.

I will not execute My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim again.
For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in wrath.

Hosea 11:7-9

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God’s Wrath in the Future

Today, God still has a right to be very angry. Our world is full of idolatry, rebellion, injustice, self-righteousness, pride and arrogance. Because of sin, His perfect creation is now marred and defaced. He won’t let it stay that way.

Haven’t we all had a time when we saw that something was terribly wrong, and thought “This is intolerable. Something has to be done. This cannot be allowed to continue”? That is the point that God will reach one day. He is holding off to give humanity time for those who will accept Jesus to do so (2 Peter 3:9). But He has decreed that there will be a stopping point.

The Bible foretells a future “Day of Wrath” or “Day of Reckoning” (Isaiah 2:12-21) that will be a general burning away of all sin. It will be a final outpouring of His anger to “do something about” all of the evil stored up over millennia. These passages are a few of the Bible’s descriptions of that day.

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God’s Wrath Poured Out On Jesus

The thought of being on the receiving end of God’s full wrath is terrifying. It is also avoidable, thanks to Jesus.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16

At the cross, Jesus “who rescues us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10) stood in the gap and absorbed that mass of wrath on behalf of all who trust Him. This illustration may be a bit of a stretch but… Country singer Jimmy Dean had a song about “Big Bad John“, who held up the collapsing mine shaft long enough for others to escape ⁴. I can see the song as a small picture of “Big Bad Jesus” holding off all the Wrath of God so that those who trust Him have a way to get to safety ⁵.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Romans 5:9

But… those who don’t accept His covering will bear it on their own.

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

John 3:36

This is the essence of the Gospel, the Good News that Christians are commissioned to share. We are asking the world to:

Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

Psalm 2:12 (emphasis added)

Note: A couple of similar articles on this site are “Fear of God” and “Bloodthirsty God?“.

1. The angriest I ever remember seeing my father is when he yelled at me for running in front of a car. I know now that he was releasing his fear that I would be harmed. But at 8 years old, I was more frightened by his out-of-character anger than I was by the car!
2. Deuteronomy 29:23
3. Deuteronomy 29:23
4. Here’s another video of Jimmy performing this song much later in his life. He was still great!
5. Although, John’s death ended with a monument to him at the entrance of the mine. Jesus’ death ended with resurrection and victory over the grave!