Part 6/9
Series: Will the Church Be On the Right Side of History?
Read: Revelation 15-16, Exodus 15:1-21
Should we rejoice in the death of our enemies? Can we worship God for His Judgment? Is His wrath something we should celebrate? Is there any good news when God is angry? Hold those questions as we work our way through one of the most frightening visions of God in Scripture.
Praising God for His Righteous Judgement
Revelation 15 introduces us to the final plagues, described as seven angels holding seven bowls filled with God’s wrath. We are initially taken back to the earlier throne room picture where we once again see the sea of glass, a symbol of the peacefulness of heaven. But this time it is described as glowing with fire. What could disturb the peace in paradise? The wrath of God.
As the judgement is being prepared, a song arises from those who had been persecuted and were victorious in their perseverance of faith. This was the promise made to the seven churches in the earlier chapters. They sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. This is likely a reference back to Exodus 15 and the song of Moses after God had saved the people of Israel by bringing them through the Red Sea and then destroyed Pharoah and his armies. The song begins, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.” They are celebrating the righteous indignation of God, the death of their enemies. Keep this in mind, because the story of the Exodus is closely paralleled in these final judgments.
They are also singing the song of the Lamb. We have to remember back to Revelation 5 where the saints were praising Jesus for His sacrifice. Who was worthy to open the seal and bring judgment on the earth? None other than the one who bore the wrath of God upon Himself so that He might offer a way of redemption for all mankind. In a sense, they are celebrating the death of their king in the slaying of the Lamb. We do that every year on Good Friday.
In the mixing of these two songs we have a unique description of God. His deeds are marvelous. He is just and true. He is the King of the nations. He is the ruler and He is exercising righteous judgment. His anger is justified.
Praise God for His Righteous Anger
We have a hard time with the concept of being angry without sinning. Anger is such a heavy word that carries with it a negative connotation. And if you think you’ve mastered the art of righteous indignation, just remember how Jesus described righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount. If you’ve ever had unrighteous anger in your heart, you’ve sinned. And who are you to judge anyone else, since you’re just as guilty of murder in the eyes of God?
But just because our anger is tainted by sin does not mean that anger is evil or wrong. Righteous anger is necessary, or there would be no justice in this world. We wouldn’t want God to turn a blind eye to evil, especially when it is evil inflicted upon us. But God alone is holy and His anger is always pure, just, and good.
Who wouldn’t fear a holy and righteous God? We all have reasons to be afraid. We have all sinned and fall short of His glory. Everyone has a sense of guilt and shame. But can we really worship Him when we are seeing the world punished for their sins?
Praise God for His Righteous Justice
The first two bowls of God’s wrath are harsh. These judgements mirror the plagues in Egypt more than the seal or trumpet judgements. But the third judgement gives us more detail as the angel declares, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” It might be hard for us to stomach God’s judgment, but now we are given some context to the reason for God’s wrath.
Right after the third angel declares the justification for God’s wrath, another voice cries out, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” And just like that our attention is drawn to the altar before the throne. This is where sacrifices were offered. These are the sacrifices of the martyrs, but it also signifies the sacrifice of Jesus.
When we struggle with knowing how we can worship a God who dispenses justice, especially when we are on the receiving end, we have to remember that the description of all of these judgements were first poured out on Jesus. We might not think it’s fair that we are being judged for what we consider moderate offenses, but we cannot deny the unwarranted punishment Christ endured on our behalf. The cross shows us the severity of our sin, and anyone who has absorbed the reality of Christ sacrifice should not be appalled at the description of God’s wrath of God being poured out on a world that has rejected His proclamations of love.
In the end of these judgments, after the stage is set for the final battle of Armegedon, it is God Himself that shows up in the storm to execute His wrath. It is a troubling thing to come face to face with a God who is angry. Nothing can withstand His righteous judgment.
Wrestling with the Righteous Wrath of God.
There are a number of reasons why we might struggle with worshipping God while He is judging the world in His wrath. Despite your perspective on the state of religious liberty in the West, the reality is that we are living in exorbitant luxury in comparison to Old Testament saints, early New Testament Christians, and the current persecuted Church around the world. I’m sure they would have a different sense of God’s justice.
Still, being appreciative of God’s wrath can be difficult to reconcile. Here are a few reasons why that might be.
First, we are far more comfortable with the pleasures of this world than we ought to be. Jesus told us to deny ourselves, disavow all of our relationships and possessions, and take up our cross and follow Him. John warned us not to love the world or the things that are in the world. But we haven’t listened. We have stored up our treasures on earth, and we hate to see our treasures lost, stolen, or destroyed. It pains us because our heart is entangled with the things of earth. Instead, we ought to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Second, we feel like God’s wrath is an overreaction. We don’t hate our sin as much as He hates our sin. Actually, we quite enjoy our sins and we are not so willing to give them up. So a God who is angry and judges the world for sin makes us a little uncomfortable. Like Pharaoh who acknowledged God’s judgment and still hardened his heart, so those being judged here curse God and refuse to repent. Instead of fearing the Lord and honoring Him, we think that God should serve us and leave us alone wherever we don’t invite His input. We don’t like to think of God’s wrath because we don’t want to think about how bad our sin really is.
Third, those of us who have truly tasted the grace and mercy of God, we who know just how much we have been forgiven, we empathize with the lost because we know that we are just as undeserving as any of them. When God told Moses that He was going to wipe out the Israelites and start over for their complaining and idolatry, Moses intercedes and offers his own life in the place of those who had offended God. This is a noble struggle with God’s wrath. It humbles us and reminds us that God’s wrath must be dealt with. Thankfully, it has already been absorbed on the cross.
Recognizing the Substitutionary Atonement of God’s Wrath
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He wrestled with the wrath of God. He prayed that this cup would pass from Him. Jesus didn’t just take a sip of God’s wrath, He didn’t just pay for our individual sins as we commit them, He took the full cup of God’s wrath all at once. As it says in Psalm 75:8, Jesus drank it all in the place of the wicked.
Jesus addressed the judgment of God in a parable when He told about a man who built a vineyard and rented it out to tenants. When the harvest came, he sent a servant to collect the rent. Instead of paying what they owed, they beat the servant and sent them empty-handed back to their master. This happened a number of times before the owner sent his own son to collect what was rightfully his. When they saw the son, the tenants killed him, thinking that they would be free from the burden of responsibility. Then Jesus asked the question of what the owner should do in retaliation. This shows that God’s judgments are just and warranted. He has given plenty of warnings and opportunities to do what is right. He even sent His Son to bear the punishment of our sins. But it is not enough for those who hate God and murder His Son to repent.
What will you do? Will you worship God for His judgments? Do you feel the weight of God’s anger towards your sin? Repent. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.
Adam Miller is the president and host of Songtime Radio and serves as the pastor of South Chatham Community Church. This article is a condensed version of one of his sermons.