The clergy for millennia used the fear of God as an instrument to manipulate and control the masses. But at this moment, hardly anyone is afraid of God anymore. The idea of a sky-tyrant is clearly out of fashion, replaced by this loving god, who forgives anyone and everything. We are scared of losing money or being disrespected or hurt, and we follow the law not to be punished, but when it comes to God, we are not afraid of him and he often is completely ignored by many. Although we put much effort into avoiding suffering in this life, not many recognize the possibility of facing God’s wrath in the next life. The problem is that the prospect of an angry God who can punish us in the afterlife is real.
God’s anger is reflected in his creation and can be perceived as pain, suffering, and death present in the world. Whoever created this planet was expressing extreme dissatisfaction with his creation. The message the Creator has been sending us all along is that mankind has a problem with him. But if you are convinced that you are going to heaven, good luck with that one. Hell has no exit door, so you better think again!
The wrath of God is a common expression mentioned in the Bible numerous times; it is not an ambiguous idea at all. But the word wrath alone instills fear and discomfort in most people. The notion of God’s wrath is the most unwanted biblical concept. In fact, God’s anger is one of the main reasons people dislike the God of the Bible. So God’s wrath has been eliminated from many (or most?) pulpits, and the hell-fire and brimstone sermons disappeared altogether. If God is so good and loving, how could he send people to hell for eternity? The wrath of God was edited and interpreted away by the preachers.
Preachers now guarantee us that Christians are shielded from God’s wrath. So, many Christians are not afraid of God anymore. Many believe they are saved because they are “born again” and they accepted Jesus. They relax with their get-out-of-jail card. So a few Christians will be surprised when Jesus doesn’t receive them in the future life the way they expect or desire. The reality is that we need to understand and solve our problems with God.
…Are you saved? This is a common question in many Christian circles. Many think that they need to be saved from hell, but in reality it is from the wrath of God that they need to be saved from. Their self evaluation of goodness and salvation is worthless. Not only God will punish the wicked but, God’s anger will also be directed at those who do not take him seriously. But I want to make clear that when I am talking about the fear of God, I mean fear of being punished by him for doing wrong. This is not about the innocent being unfairly persecuted by God. Since nobody cares about God’s emotions, relevance, or holiness, they will have to contend with God’s wrath.
If I have to name a particular group that staunchly supported Donald Trump it would be White Protestant Christians. They secured his election victory again. Many of them feel that Trump represents their values and some even believe that God appointed him president. But this man can be safely described as the complete opposite of what Jesus stands for. A very short list of his personal qualities would be that he is considered by many to be a bully, a compulsive liar, a misogynist, a narcissist, he has a big mouth, and as of this writing, he has four criminal indictments, while many of those who surround him have ended up in jail; the list of flaws is endless. Trump, sin, and crime go hand in hand.
However, those same White Christian Protestants who identify themselves so closely with Donald Trump are still convinced of being faithful disciples of Jesus and destined to go to heaven. The narrative around some Christian circles was that although Trump is a flawed man, he should be compared to the biblical King Jehu, who despite being flawed was anointed by God to destroy Baal worship, Jezebel, and her legacy. So Donald Trump was equally used by God to destroy the new Jezebel (Kamala Harris and the Democratic legacy). But King Jehu was far from being sinless, as we can read in Kings II 10:31, “Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.” He just replaced Jezebel’s legacy for the sins of Jeroboam. The sins of Jeroboam were idolatry (by making golden calves and driving Israel away from the Lord). In short, with Jehu, Israel replaced the worship of Baal with the worship of golden calves. They replaced a sin with another one. What are these Christians thinking?
Contrary to what some might believe, I am not a Democrat nor a liberal. I did not like Kamala Harris by any stretch of the imagination. The fact is that there was not a good candidate to vote for. Both choices were terrible. However, they perfectly reflect the state of the United States from a moral perspective. These Christians are correct when they believe that Donald Trump was appointed by God. In fact, according to the Bible, every authority is appointed by God everywhere. What they are missing is that God installs those authorities as a blessing or a curse. For instance, before this Make America Great Again (MAGA) president was elected, another nut job came up with that same philosophy. Make Germany Great Again was Adolf Hitler’s mantra. But after Germany was completely destroyed, Germany’s messianic savior had to shoot himself in a bunker in Berlin.
On the other hand, the United States can be safely described as a God-fearing nation throughout its history. That is the exclusive reason God made this country the greatest superpower ever. However, today this is not the same God-fearing country it used to be. False doctrines and teachings have crept into the church and polluted it with all kinds of stupid ideas. Expect consequences, sooner or later. People just have not realized that still. But, if you are not affected in this life by God’s wrath, it does not mean anything. God’s judgment is actually for the afterlife.
“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and
the rule of law under God is acknowledged”
Ronald Reagan
Why is God so angry? Because you can select forgiveness through his grace, or you can choose his justified wrath for your sins. Since most people are not afraid of God’s anger, no one seeks his grace, so his wrath remains. But the fear of God is the one that keeps us from sinning. So, ironically, those who ignore and disregard God’s wrath will be the ones most likely to experience this. Because everybody is so annoyed at being punished by God, his wrath, and even God himself, have been summarily eliminated everywhere. Although if God’s wrath is genuine, it is at our own risk that we do that. No wonder the Bible refers to the god deniers (atheists) as fools (Psalms 14:1).
Many people think of God’s wrath as apocalyptic catastrophes and end-of-the-world events. But throughout time, it has rather been that God simply turns his back on us. If people keep rejecting God’s grace and mercy, he eventually allows people to be destroyed by their own passions. God’s wrath is expressed when he gives up and allows people to follow their sinful desires. But then, after death, there is hell or some other form of punishment due to their sins. He constantly and actively works to keep us away from sin. The forces of destruction, suffering, and death present in this world are kept under control and held back by God. But when he does not extend his mercy to us anymore, despair, pain, and suffering significantly increase.
Nonetheless, the Bible mentions that there will be a time when God will eventually get tired of people sinning, will punish them all at the same time, and will put an end to sin. This event is associated with “the Day of the Lord”, and it is a day when God’s wrath will manifest against all sinners. A righteous God would justifiably give us what we have earned. But God is also merciful. We should take advantage of the opportunity that God’s grace extends to us as redemption, while we still can.