America and The Wrath of God

As I watch the warnings issued by local and state authorities concerning Hurricane Irma, I am soberly reminded of my responsibility to warn people of God’s coming judgment. Many are wondering if God is going to judge the United States. It is a good question to ask, especially considering the path our society has taken. One does not need to be religious to see that God is completely rejected in our American culture. So given the way America has shoved God to the side, could we see His wrath come upon our country? I think the Biblical answer is both yes and no.

I do not think it is a question of whether God’s judgment is coming. In my opinion, I believe it is already here. Now, are the hurricane’s and other natural disasters part of God’s judgment. Again, the answer is yes and no.

I do not think that God in His anger sends devastating hurricanes throughout the earth. The difference between God’s divine anger and our human anger is that God does not lose His temper like we do. He is patient and long suffering (2 Peter 3:9).

Where I do believe America is encountering the judgment of God is in the fact that God may be withholding His divine protection. This is my attempt to carefully explain the wrath of God as I understand it Biblically and how it applies in our day.

The Active & Passive Wrath of God
Bible commentators have done a great job helping us understand the wrath of God. They define God’s wrath in two categories that I find very helpful in trying to understand God’s judgments.

In the Old Testament days, they describe God’s wrath as “Active.” We see this in the flooding of the earth, the tower of Babel, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Plagues of Egypt and the list could keep going.

But in the New Testament, they define God’s wrath as “Passive.” The passive wrath of God means He is withholding His presence, His protection or His intervention. When I think of God’s passive wrath, I think of how many souls have discarded the precious conviction of the Holy Spirit. For many, God never convicted them of their sin again, thus leaving them without hope and without Christ in this world or the world to come. This is God’s passive wrath.

Christ Makes the Difference
So what is the difference between the Old Testament active wrath of God and God’s passive wrath in our day? The difference is Calvary! There is a beautiful, bold word the Apostle John uses in 1 John 2:2 to describe Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It is big doctrine word called, “Propitiation.”
This word means that Christ became our sacrifice on the cross. It literally means that Christ absorbed the wrath of God in our place. John Piper vividly describes this as saying that Christ, like a sponge, absorbed the wrath of God.

Why God Will Not Ignore Sin
The Bible tells us in Psalm 7:11 that God is a, “Righteous Judge, a God who displays his wrath everyday.” What a striking statement about God Almighty! Do you know why God cannot and will not ignore sin? Because He is a Righteous Judge.

While God will judge sin, Christ said in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

This is what makes the Gospel, “Good News.” God has already judged sin through His Son on the cross. For those who are in Christ, forgiven and born again, we will never face the wrath of God because Christ was our “propitiation” (1 John 2:2).

But for those who are apart from Christ, they will face the judgment and wrath of God. So in conclusion, will America see the wrath of God? Yes, in the sense that it is passive judgment in God withholding His divine protection. Will we see his active wrath? No, I do not think so. His active wrath was poured out upon His Beloved Son for you and I.

The Judge is Coming
While the Bible describes God as a “Righteous Judge”, James 5:9 tells us, “Behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” This means that God is ready to return for His people. It tells us to be watching for the Judge to return!
So when I see things like the Solar Eclipse, Hurricanes, threats from North Korea, earthquakes and other Biblical signs of Christ’s return, I immediately think of Luke 21:25-28. Those of us who watching global events unfold, we would do well to pay close attention to this Scripture.

“And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” Luke 21:25-28.