“Wrath” – Revelation 16.1

Revelation 16.1 – “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.’”

Wrath is the meting out of deserved punishment for sins committed against God. We do not like to think of our God as a God of wrath. We prefer to think of Him as loving, comforting, forgiving, merciful, and gracious. He is all of these things. However, He is also a God of wrath. It is not contradictory for Him to be all these things at the same time. He is just and offenses against Him must be punished.

This is why the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, came. Isaiah 53.5 sums it up well where it says, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” He took our punishment upon Himself, but for those who are unwilling to accept His sacrifice on their behalf, only wrath awaits. Ephesians 2.3 says that before we were made alive in Christ, “Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”

God’s wrath should not cause us to recoil in horror at what is coming on those who refuse Him. It should not cause us to doubt the God we serve. It should motivate us to do all we can to help others avoid His wrath. God through Christ has done all that is needed for each person to avoid His wrath and enjoy eternity in His presence. As His disciples, we need to do all we can to let everyone know the good news that they do not have to remain objects of His wrath because as described in Revelation, His wrath is coming and when it does, it will be fully satisfied.