What…Why…When
page l 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7 l 8 l 9 l 10 l 11 l
-7-
These properties
coexist within human beings because
we are created in God’s image.
(Genesis 1:27)
Every well-trained
child knows that a loving parent can
exercise wrath!
In fact, nothing
causes a loving parent’s wrath
to break out faster than seeing his
child mistreated or abused.
If you saw a child
suffer physical abuse or sexual abuse
or psychological abuse, what would be
your response?
If it were in your
power, would you use your wrath to
“protect” children from
predators?
Of course!
If destroying a world
full of predators was the only way to
stop their abuse, would you destroy
the predators or would you allow them
to destroy ten of thousands of
children?
So it was in
Noah’s day. God’s love for
the oncoming generation moved Him to
stop the predators.
God’s mercy and
wrath are not in conflict.
Nothing arouses
God’s wrath like rampant
injustice and predatory violence and
He has the power and will to do
something about it.
God was patient with
the antediluvians. He
waited 120 years.
God was patient with
the Amalekites. He waited
700 years.
God was patient with
Israel. He waited 1,470
years.
In each of these
cases, divine patience did not bring
about any change for the better.
Each succeeding
generation only became worse than the
previous.
Nothing offends the
righteousness of God more than the
downward spiral of wicked people.
This is why God’s
wrath breaks out from time to time.
He tears down nations and
civilizations to protect oncoming
generations.
When God sees wicked
parents and a wicked society ruining
the oncoming generation –
robbing innocent children of the
values and morals needed for a
healthy and happy life, God is moved
by His love for oncoming children to
destroy everything contaminated by
sin – including children and
infants.
At first, you may
think: How horrible!!!
But consider this:
Even though children and infants
perish when God’s wrath breaks
out, this is not a problem because
all children and infants will be
given eternal life.
God does not hold
children accountable for their sins.
James 4:17
“Anyone, then, who knows the
good he ought to do and doesn’t
do it, sins.”
All children and
infants will be saved because (a) God
is more merciful and (b) Jesus paid
the price for all sinners, including
those who are too young or
incompetent to be held accountable
for their actions.
(Good News: Jesus also
paid the price for those of us who
have sinned and are accountable for
our sins – if we are willing to
repent and reform.)
God’s wrath is
not evil, in fact, when God exercises
His wrath; He accomplishes good
things that could not be accomplished
otherwise.
The world became a
better place for children after
Noah’s flood.
The land of Canaan
became a better place to live after
the Amalekites were destroyed.
Look at the good that
God has brought to all mankind
through the death of Jesus!
Through His death, we
were reconciled to God!
God always brings good
things out of His wrath because He is
a God of love!
History proves that
sin is a slippery slope.
Over time, each
generation becomes increasing bold
and shameless in their wicked ways.
Money and sexual
immorality leads to violence.
And violence only
breeds suffering and greater
violence.
When law and order
break down, there is no quality of
life.
Man’s descent
into chaos arouses God’s wrath
because the oncoming generation will
be ruined or destroyed by the ways of
their parents and society in general.
When God’s wrath
breaks out, yes, there is much death,
but out of this death, God brings
about a new beginning. He cauterizes
the malignancy of sin for the benefit
of oncoming generations!
The world today is
like the world in Noah’s day.
Matthew 24:37
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the
Son of Man.
page l 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7 l 8 l 9 l 10 l 11 l
-7-
