Be Light In Darkness

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming [on those].  (Colossians 3:5-6)

Wrath is the Greek word orge, Strongs #3709.  It means to team or swell with opposition, being grieved, for sin and unrighteousness.     As we see throughout the Bible, sin initiates and calls for wrath. 

Thinking of my newest addition to our family, Pickles the puppy, he is constantly getting into trouble for chewing on our furniture when we are not looking or even trying to bite an electrical cord.   We discipline him quickly for this so that he learns what is right and wrong.  If his sinful behavior was never punished and there were no consequences, he would grow in being more and more out of control with sinful behaviors. It is us getting upset that helps him to see his wrong.  

In the same way, wrath is brought on by sin and helps keep order in a way. And there are many verses about this “coming wrath” that Paul speaks of.  

Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

John says in Mathew and Luke 3:7, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” 

Wrath is the result of sin.  Paul says in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed form heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” 

And he says in Ephesians 5:6, “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things [sin] cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”

 We also know through Revelations that the end time is a time for the outpouring of God’s wrath.  As we look to end times, this makes sense as it is also prophesied that it is a time where sin is heavy on the earth.

Isaiah 24:20 prophesies, “The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that is falls—never to rise again.” 

Ever think that the downfall of the earth is not God sending all these natural disasters but sin?  That the weight of sin becomes so heavy that it breaks the world.   In some ways, we see this heading this way already.   Brockton School is in the media recently for pleading for help by the National Guard as there are “shocking levels of chaos and violence among students.”  

We also know that the love of many grow cold as a result of all the difficulty and anguish and they turn away from the Lord.  They stop trusting and holding onto their faith.

It is only in faith in Christ that will keep us in the difficult times of overwhelming sin.   Isaiah 2:12 says, For the Day of the Lord of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled.” 

And from the New Testament, Paul says in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.”  And Ephesians 5:6, “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”

But for us as Christians, Paul notes, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”  As the purpose of wrath is to punish and eradicate the sin, we are not under His wrath but under grace.  

As they are speaking of a time of wrath, this makes me think about how God seems to move at different times in these overarching brushstrokes of purpose.  As an example, at the time of the Israelites in Egypt, God was moving in freedom.   And once he set the Israelites free, there was a time of learning his ways around Mount Sinai.   Then came this time of the battle, where the Israelites were fighting to take the Promised Land.

At David’s time, there seemed to be an overall wave of worship.  And with Solomon, a move to prayer and focus on the glory filling the temple.  When John the Baptist came, there was an overall wave of repentance that seemed to come upon people.   And then after Jesus was crucified, there was a move of the Holy Spirit with tongues of fire, boldness and miracles following.  

When I first came to know the Lord, we were just moving from this broad brushstroke place of an overall revelation of the Father’s love to that of a Bridegroom God with more of a focus towards the second coming of Christ.  And one of the broad brushstroke moves spoken of near the end times is this great harvest where the reapers is overtaken by the plowman and the planter.  Where new wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. (Amos 9:13)

All that to say this “coming wrath” feels like it is a move of God that is the result of the world being overcome by sin and darkness and in preparing for His return.   It is judgement to evil and purification of the Bride so that she is spotless and white, ready and prepared for her Beloved. 

Malachi 3:2-3 says, “But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.  And He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.” 

And Revelation 6:17 asks, “For the great day of Their wrath has come, who is able to withstand it?”

Just recently, maybe it was at church, I heard a statistic that 60% of man and women masturbate and watch pornography.   So I looked it up and got statistics of 92% of men and 85.5% of women.  What?!  It is so easy these days to become steeped in sin and PG 13 television itself borderlines pornography and is filled with violence, perverse language and taking the Lord’s name in vain.  If that isn’t enough, I understand that the popular opinion is that there are not two genders (male and female) but a whole massive line of possibilities.   And a University Professor was fired for teaching that sex was determined by X and Y chromosomes.

Even more simple, is gossip.  I receive this email called Ministry Watch that comes to my box every week that lists out all the ministries and pastors that are getting arrested, involved in a bust or raid, leaving their spouse for someone younger, and on and on.  It is so hard not to look at it.  There is something that just grabs me at times that he/she did what… While it grieves me, it also feeds judgement.

Or how about the ease of spending, buying and shopping for meaningless things.  How easy it is to jump onto Amazon and just spend money.  And on Amazon, you can buy a Ouija Board or all you need to become a witch--manual and all to summon demonic spirits and cast spells.  Or if Christian, you can buy a Christian Ouija Board for Séances.  They even make them for little girls in pink.

All that to say that we already see “wrath” in some of these places.  We see people turning the dial on their sexual orientation, people dressing as both male and female, women’s sports totally messed up as men are competing with them as women and hurting the other women, violence everywhere like never before, children killing each other and everyone else in massive shootings, schools falling apart for overwhelming behavioral issues, teachers and principals dressing up as drag queens, and mental health issues and suicides running wild like a plague.

While you can no longer prayer in school, you find violence that is frightening and overwhelming daily in the hallways. And children as young as sixth grade having sex with each other outside the building. Over 80% of public classrooms are filled with children with special needs primarily due to behavioral issues such as throwing a chair at their teacher or another student.   

We also see continued exposure for sin among spiritual leaders.  The Lord is not mocked.  There are consequences for ongoing sin.  People may get away with hiding it for a while but eventually all things come to the light.  Hidden sin is repented and turned from or it eventually is exposed.

 Luke 8:17 says, “for there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” 

Ongoing sin or walking away from faith has to do with unbelief and lack of the fear of the Lord.  When religion is followed as tradition or works rather than surrender and walking with the Holy Spirit, it cannot be maintained.  It is only by the power of the blood of Jesus that we are truly cleansed from sin and by the power of the Holy Spirit that we walk in freedom.  

Also, when people sin repeatedly, they can become despondent.  They grow further and further away from the Lord and caught up in their means of escape of difficulty.   In that, they become lethargic in their faith and unable to sustain it.

Paul says in Romans 2:5, "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed."

The purpose of wrath is to deal with the sin and bring just judgement.   In experiencing consequences for sin, it hopefully turns people away from it and changes their hearts to make different decisions that benefit them.  Nebuchadnezzar is an example of this.  God had lifted him up as the greatest leader of the time and he became proud and considered himself a god.  As a result, he experienced judgement for a period of time, lost his sanity and ate grass in the field until he looked up and glorified God.  (Daniel 4)   

There was judgement but it led to purification and God's mercy.  Ultimately, wrath is preparation for the return of the Lord. Zechariah 14:9 says, "And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord--his name alone will be worshiped."  

Daniel 2:44 prophesies, "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people.   It will crush all those kingdom and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever."  The Lord will crush and bring to an end every worldly kingdom as His is established. 

We want to be found faithfully waiting. Paul paints a picture of how Christians are to walk and navigate these difficult times – by being led in love.  In Colossians 3:12 he tells us, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.   Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” 

Lord Jesus, help us to walk out our faith in a way that glorifies you.  In the midst of darkness, chaos and confusion around the world, let us be lights on a hill that cannot be hidden.  May it be a time and season when many come to know you.