The Fearful Wrath of God

People are not afraid of God these days.

Startling events are recorded in Scripture in which God took action against those who had no regard for him, who rebelled, or who kept on sinning.

• God poured out His wrath on Israel when they rebelled against Him after having been delivered from slavery in Egypt. Read Exodus 32.
• God took the lives of two priests who had no regard for His instruction when they offered ’strange fire’ to God. Read Leviticus 10.
• God took the lives of all who followed Korah, Dathan and Abiram in their rebellion against God’s leadership. Read Numbers 16.
• During the period of the Judges Israel strayed from God into idolatry. For that, he allowed neighboring nations to oppress the people.

Prophets were sent to warn God’s people that He was about to take action against them due to their sin. The people mocked the prophets and would not listen. They were not afraid of God.

The descriptive language of the prophets warning Israel and Judah of God’s wrath is often terrifying. It was meant to be terrifying because God could not overlook the sins of the people. He wanted them to turn back to Him. So, He used vivid language that would communicate the terror of being the object of His wrath. There are no empty scare tactics with God. God is a God of justice and must take action against sin. It is His nature.

The prophet Ezekiel was sent with a message to idolatrous Judah. Recorded in the 21st chapter, God warned His people of His coming wrath. It was pictured as a sword. The sword was sharpened and polished. Yet, this sword was not an object of beauty. The sword was “sharpened to make a slaughter” and “polished to flash like lightning” (v. 10). The latter description is not about its appearance but more about the manner in which the sword struck, like a flash of lightning. The sword was sharpened and polished to be given into the hand of the slayer!

Ezekiel was told to clap his hands, presumably signaling the beginning of God’s destructive judgment. The sword would strike in a flash going to the left and then to the right suggesting a powerful double-edged sword. God’s judgment would be thorough and complete. He would also clap His hands together, “and I will appease My wrath” (v. 17).

The word translated ‘appease’ was used elsewhere in the Old Testament for rest or the idea of being settled. God’s wrath had been aroused by the sins of the people. It was appeased (settled) after His wrath had been poured out on the people as a destructive sword.

While God speaks through Ezekiel in rich figurative language, the meaning of the prophecy was clear. God had prepared a sword, and the figurative sword would come as a real king with a real army, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. God warned His people that He would use the nation of Babylon to carry out His divine judgment against them. That should have struck terror in their hearts and caused them to turn back to God. Foolishly, they did not. They did not fear God.

How foolish we are to read the Old Testament prophets as mere Bible stories. How foolish we are to read the warnings in the New Testament that tell us of God’s wrath because of sin and not feel a sense of dread. God has never lied in His warnings.

“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Take the warnings seriously. 

Jesus will return. 

There will be a judgment. 

Only those who are in Christ are safe from God’s wrath!

Mark Stinnett

June 21, 2026

Us vs Them: 'Them'

We live in an ‘Us vs Them’ world. (See previous blogs.) There are those who are alive in Christ and those who are dead in their sins. This life and death description refers to one’s relationship with God.

The gospel message is specifically for those who are a part of the ‘them’ group. The gospel is God’s plea to those who are dead in their sins to change their thinking about Jesus and follow Him. But what about the rest, the ‘us’ group. What is our relationship to ‘them’?

First, we should possess an attitude of understanding and cooperation. ‘They’ do not live according to the word of God; they do not intend to do so. We who follow Jesus live according to the Spirit. Yet, we should not be surprised that they live according to the flesh. In fact, many of them will find it offensive if we try to make them live according to the word of God. Make no mistake, God will hold everyone accountable, but He does not force anyone to choose Jesus. Just read the next two verses after the famous John 3:16. Read what Paul preached in Acts 17, especially verses 29-31. Look it up.

God also instructed His people (us) through the Apostle Paul:

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 

--1 Corinthians 5:9-11

So, we live in this world, not in a cave in the hills or in a monastery cut off from civilization. God expects us to ‘rub elbows’ with them. In fact...

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” 

--Romans 12:18

In order for us to be at peace with others, we will do well to remember…

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

--Romans 12:19

To follow that instruction means that there will be injustices in the world. We know that life is not fair, but we really need to embrace that fact and recognize that God will bring ultimate justice in the end. Until then, we await the Lord’s return which is delayed because of God’s patience…

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 

--2 Peter 3:9

We should be motivated by the compassion of Jesus when He was dying on the cross. He prayed to God…

“Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

Those words were not for the world of lost sinners, but specifically for those who had called for and carried out His death. We should realize that those who have not chosen to follow Christ really do not know what they are doing when they ridicule us, mock us, harm us. It is an expression of love to pray for our enemies, asking God to open a door of opportunity so that the gospel might be presented to them. It is an expression of mercy to show compassion when you are hurt instead of demanding justice.

Being at peace with 'them' calls for genuine love and mercy from 'us.'

Mark Stinnett

June 14, 2026

Us vs Them: "Us"

We live in an ‘Us vs Them’ world. (See last week’s blog.) Those who follow Jesus have been born again. They are alive in Christ. All others remain dead in their sins. So, what does God expect of 'us' while living among 'them.'

Before His death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus prayed for believers. He described His disciples to God by saying “they are not of the world.” Then He prayed, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)

Why has God left disciples of Jesus in the world?

Primarily, it is for the advancement of the kingdom of God. There are direct and indirect ways in which 'we' can each help:

Advance the kingdom: 

Paul makes it very clear that not every Christian is a missionary or evangelist or preacher or teacher. Even when people were receiving spiritual gifts of a miraculous nature, the ‘speaking’ gifts were given priority. The ‘speaking’ gifts (prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpretation, teaching) were miraculous gifts given to spread the gospel message and teach the word of God. (See Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 & 14.) In the book of Acts the primary role of the Holy Spirit was the advancement of the kingdom of God. After all, God desires for all men to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) So, some people are directly involved in spreading the gospel message and teaching God’s people.

Support those who do: 

Not every Christian is a preacher, teacher, missionary or evangelist. Those who do not fill those important roles can certainly support those who do. For many, support is about financial support. Indeed, those who speak God’s word full-time need financial support. And yet, participation in the advancement of the kingdom also includes prayer and personal support for those who preach and teach. When reading about the missionary journeys of Paul in the book of Acts it is clear that he depended on others for lodging, protection, moral support and sound advice. Seldom do you read about Paul being alone. In his letters he often mentioned by name many people who provided support of various kinds. Entire congregations also participated in the gospel with him as they sent gifts of support and supported him in prayer. You can support the gospel.

Explain your hope: 

God expects every Christian to be able to say something to explain their hope, that is, their expectation of eternal life. (1 Peter 3:15) You don’t have to be an apologist who has an answer for every question, from the existence of dinosaurs to the doctrine of the Trinity. You may not be able to explain why certain things are in the Bible. But you should be able to explain your conviction that your sins have been forgiven and that you will be raised from the dead when you die to live eternally with God.

Good works: 

God created us for good works. It is His expectation that every Christian engage in good works (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus said that we should let our light shine so that people see our good works and glorify God (Matthew 5:16). God knows that we may sometimes become weary of doing good. So, he provides encouragement so we will not give up. God is a kid of cheerleader for continuing in good works. It might not look like we are making a difference, but God see what is going on. (See Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 12:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Revelation 2:3.)

Love one another: 

Love for our fellow saints in Christ is one of the most important attributes of a Christian. Jesus said that the world will know that we are his disciples if we love one another. (John 13:35)

Your contribution to the kingdom is important to God.


Mark Stinnett

June 7, 2026