By Kristen Wisen
Wrath is a hot topic in prophecy circles these days. As the international economic crisis continues to grow, the world seems to be searching for a leader to arise and offer a solution to the suffering and uncertainty. This global calling has caused red flags to be raised among prophecy watchmen, as they wonder if the events they are seeing are ushering in the final days of life here on earth. Who will fill the role of the Antichrist? What nations are gathering and uniting with power? What is the spiritual condition of the church? How long until God pours His wrath out on the earth?
These are but a few questions that are circulating in Christian circles. And though no tangible conclusions can yet be made, most agree that no matter where we are in the prophetic timeline of the last days, believers don’t have too much to worry about, since we know for certain that we are not destined for wrath. How do we know this? Who made this claim in scripture? For this answer, we need to look at the author and his intended audience, Paul and the young church at Thessalonica.
Paul owned his calling.
Not only did he pour his life into physically visiting his Gentile church plants but in his absence spent countless hours in prayer and instructing them through the written word. They were constantly on his mind and brought him great joy, as well as great concern. Their struggles he bore personally, their successes turned his heart to the Lord in thanksgiving. His paternal love for these young believers spread out across Asia Minor evidenced how seriously he took his calling. He not only heeded the call of God, he owned it.
It’s no wonder then, when the suffering church of Thessalonica needed reassurance, Paul was quick to respond. This church was in the throes of persecution that began the moment it was established during
Paul’s second missionary journey. His radical claims about Jesus as the Christ stirred the anger of the local synagogue leaders and even after Paul’s quick departure, the anger refused to dissipate. Instead of Paul
being the focus of their fury, it was now this small church of young believers who bore the weight of persecution.
Having sent Timothy to check on these young believers and received a positive report back on the spiritual health of the church, Paul wrote his first letter to them with the purpose of encouraging them and reminding them of the truth of his message. He expressed concern for their suffering and praised their continued growth in the face of persecution.
Near the end of his letter, Paul addressed a specific concern of the church and in this portion of his letter penned the theme phrase of End Times theologians, “God has not destined us for wrath.” (I Thess. 5:9)
The church lived in anticipation of the return of Jesus and wondered what would happen to their loved ones who had died before His return. Would they miss out on the glorious reunion? Would they forever be in
the grave? When exactly was this going to happen anyway?
Paul, with the patience of a father, gently comforted these young believers by explaining to them that at the coming of the Lord, the dead in Christ will rise first and then the rest of the church “…will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” (I Thess. 4:17).
Then he turned to the timing issue. He reminded them that although the return of Christ would bring destruction upon an unsuspecting world, believers are not surprised. Believers live in the light and are called to be alert and sober. Here he connected the simultaneous events of the Day of the Lord and the gathering of
believers, using the “thief in the night” illustration. For the world, the Day of the Lord would bring surprising destruction, but because “…God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ…” (I Thess. 5:9) believers would be spared God’s wrath, so that whether they were alive or had already died they would all live together with Him, having been gathered into the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air.
“Not destined for wrath.” A great promise and yet these four simple words have become a point of great argument and debate as to the timing of Jesus’ return. Those who hold to a pretribulational rapture believe the final seven years of prophetic fulfillment here on earth encompass the full wrath of God. From the first seal to the final trumpet, the book of Revelation is all about wrath. Therefore at the gathering of the church, the wrath begins, which places the rapture as the starting point for the final seven years.
For those who hold to a prewrath rapture the wrath of God does not begin until well into the final seven years, after the Antichrist desecrates the temple and pours out great tribulation upon believers and Jews alike. To end this slaughter, God cuts the time of persecution short by gathering of His children and bringing His wrath to earth, an event referred to by the Old Testament prophets as the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Though believers are sent into the great tribulation and many lose their life during that time, they are “not
destined for wrath” and those who survive are taken before the judgment of God rains down from heaven.
Two similar claims, using the same phrase, with polar opposite applications. We have but one Word of God, and yet consensus is overwhelmingly impossible to achieve. How can this debate be resolved? When boiled down to it’s simplest form, the answer must be found in the four simple words: “not destined for wrath.” This tiny promise, tucked within a letter to a suffering church as a means of encouragement, holds the key to unlocking this theological debate.
First, let’s ask a question – what exactly is God’s wrath? We know that suffering in hell is definitely the final and eternal punishment for unbelievers as they bear the wrath of God for their own sin (Revelation 20:10‐15, 21:8). But scripture also describes earthly events as God’s wrath. In Numbers 16, after the rebellion of Korah against Moses was stopped by God Himself, a plague was sent into the congregation and over 14,000 people died as a consequence for murmuring and complaining. Moses, speaking of the plague, said “…for wrath has goneforth from the Lord…” (Numbers 16:46).
From Isaiah to Jeremiah to the Lamentations of King Solomon, the word wrath is used to describe the burning anger of the Lord that results in suffering, death and destruction. The prophets Ezekiel and
Zephaniah connect the term wrath with the phrase Day of the Lord and describe this time as when the burning anger of the Lord is to come upon the earth. Joel dedicates his whole book to this theme, placing the
context as God’s holy judgment on the nations and associates this pending doom with heavenly signs – the extinguishing of the natural heavenly lights.
Wrath is associated with great and supernatural destruction. It is described as terrible and awesome and is coupled with terms such as fierce, fury and fire. When the word first shows up in the prophetic book of Revelation, it is after the sixth seal is opened and the lights in the heavens become blackened. At the sight of this great event along with a great, world wide earthquake, the men of the earth – the kings, great men, commanders, rich, strong, slaves and freemen alike – will hide themselves among the mountains and caves and say, “…Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:16,17) Then, as the trumpets blow and the bowls are poured out on the earth, the wrath of God is displayed in all its furious glory.
A quick run through Revelation chapters 8, 9 and 16 describe in full the supernatural events associated with God’s wrath in the last days. Hail and fire, mixed with blood is thrown down to the earth and a third
of the earth is burned up. Something like a great mountain on fire is thrown into the sea and a third of the sea becomes blood, killing a third of sea life and destroying a third of the ships. Later the sun is empowered to scorch men with fire followed by darkness covering the earth, producing tongue‐gnawing pain. Malignant sores will break out on the people of the earth, and this is but a few of the torments that are encompassed within the wrath of God.
Now, let’s ask another question – why aren’t believers destined for wrath? Though the answer seems rather obvious, it is important to state. We are not destined for wrath because the wrath of God was already poured out on Jesus as the price of our sin. The theological term for this is propitiation, meaning God takes our place. We deserve God’s judgment and wrath for our sin, but Jesus Christ took our place, bore our sin, endured the wrath of His Father on our behalf and our account was marked “Paid in Full.” It would render the sacrifice of Jesus useless if believers were destined for God’s wrath. The whole reason He died was to change our destiny from wrath to glory. (Hebrews 2:9‐18; I John 4:7‐11; John 3:14‐21) Therefore, whether it be the weight of eternal separation or specific supernatural judgment that we see in the last days, believers will not be the recipients of God’s wrath.
The urge to pause is great. Thanks be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for bearing this wrath on our behalf! We will never experience this wrath for it is not our destiny, but it is still a reality described in scripture that should produce awe and gratitude within the very core of our souls.
We all agree that God’s wrath toward our sin was poured out on Jesus, therefore we aren’t destined for wrath. So, on to the final question, then, regarding the timing of God’s wrath – since the word “wrath” is not used in Revelation until the supernatural sign of the heavenly lights darkening, (just prior to the trumpets and the seals in Revelation) is it possible that the events leading up to this verse are not yet the wrath of God? To determine whether or not the seals are the wrath of God, let’s take a quick look at them. In Revelation 6 you will find wars, death, famine, pestilence and martyrdom. As the sixth seal introduces the heavenly sign that produces fear in the hearts of the world, we can turn to Jesus’ teaching in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew
24 and add to our list the events that will take place before that heavenly disturbance, which Jesus describes as the event that will announce His return. Jesus adds to the previous list false Christs, earthquakes, falling away, lawlessness, the desecration of the Temple and the Great Tribulation. Are these things the wrath of God being poured out on the earth? Are these things the wrath which believers are not destined to endure?
Dear friend, we have the benefit of history to answer this question. If famine, wars, earthquakes, pestilence and martyrdom are a part of God’s wrath, then believers have been enduring the wrath of God for thousands of years. These are all events common to history and common to believers. False Christs, falling away from the faith and even frustrating lawlessness are all results of sinful men. Yes, we will reap what we sow, but these things are not the wrath of God. We already know how the wrath of God is described, and there is an obvious reason that the seals are opened and yet there is no emotional response of the world to the seals. Wars, natural disasters and death have always been a part of life, so why would an increase in these events catch the eye of an unbeliever?
Yet when God supernaturally darkens the sun, moon and stars – now that gets the worlds attention! As the prophets foretold, this heavenly calling card indicates the start of the great and terrible Day of the Lord, and as Paul reminded that young church in Thessalonica, as the wrath of God comes to earth, the church is taken away to be with the Lord forever. Jesus taught this clearly in Luke 21 when He said, “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth great dismay among the nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25‐28) Sign in the heavens, fear among the people of the world, and hope for the believer as Jesus returns for them and brings His wrath. We will face the events prior to the lights going out, but not the wrath of God. For as you remember, we are not destined for wrath.
Four simple words with great promise. Is it ever possible to resolve the timing conflict between those in the pretribulational rapture camp and those in the prewrath camp? All agree we are not destined for wrath. The disagreement comes on defining what God’s wrath looks like. If God’s wrath is experienced through natural disasters and manmade suffering as a result of sin, then we must be destined for wrath and Paul’s encouraging words were empty and baseless. But if God’s wrath is supernatural – can you even imagine what hail and fire mixed with blood looks like? – if His wrath includes supernatural events which the world has never seen before, then we can confidently say that the wrath of God begins after the sign of the sun, moon and stars being darkened, and the church being gathered by the angels, at the start of the great and terrible Day of the Lord. A comparison of Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 24, Luke 21), Paul’s comforting words (I Thessalonians 4,5) and the order of the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments (Revelation 8, 9 and 16) gives a concise picture of the truth of those four simple words.
Rest assured, dear friends, God’s word is true and we are not destined for wrath. We may be destined for difficulty, persecution and suffering, but in comparison to the wrath of God, these things will seem like momentary, light afflictions.
