Rejoicing in the Wrath: Why We Look Forward to the Judgment Day
Judgment demonstrates the holy love of God. God is not a bipolar deity, one side wrathful and angry, the other loving and merciful. Love is his essential attribute, but this love is not like the sentimental love we think of today. God's love is holy. It is jealous. The wrath of God is based in his love. The idea of biblical judgment not only assures us of future justice; it also gives us a clearer picture of the love of God.
When we do away with the notion of God as Judge, we are left with a one-dimensional God—a sappy, sanitized deity whom we can easily manage. He nods and winks at our behavior, much like a kind elderly man who is not seriously invested in our lives. But the evil of our world is much too serious for us to view God as a pandering papa.
The Bible's picture of God is much more satisfying. He is angry because he is love. He looks at the world and sees the trafficking of innocent children, the destructive use of drugs, the genocidal atrocities in Africa, the terrorist attacks that keep people in perpetual fear, and he—out of love for the creation that reflects him as Creator—is rightfully and gloriously angry.
The god who is truly scary is not the wrathful God of the Bible, but the god who closes his eyes to the evil of this world, shrugs his shoulders, and ignores it in the name of "love." What kind of love is this? A god who is never angered at sin and who lets evil go by unpunished is not worthy of worship. The problem isn't that the judgmentless god is too loving; it's that he is not loving enough.
Eternal judgment makes sense only if we understand that we live in a good world created by a loving God. When we sense the inherent goodness of the world God created, we are then able to see—with God's eyes—the destruction and heartache that sin has unleashed in the world. We see why creation is groaning for redemption and judgment—not the destroying fire of God, but the purging fire that will lay bare everything in this world that defaces it and leave room for God's presence to fill it once again.
Our sin angers God personally. God hates sin because of what it does to us. He hates sin because of what it does to his good creation. He rages against sin because of his great love for his children. But it's not enough to say that God will judge sin and restore creation for our benefit. This is a step in the right direction, but it leaves out a crucial component of sin and judgment. God is wrathful toward sin not only because of what it does to us, but also because of what it does to him. It dishonors his name.
When we depersonalize God's judgment, treating divine punishment as a dispassionate response to generalized wrongdoing, we wind up with a lopsided view of sin. Sin is not merely bad for us. All the sins we commit against one another are ultimately committed against God.
When Joseph is tempted by Potiphar's wife (Gen. 39:6-12), he refuses to go to bed with her because it would be a great sin against Potiphar and against God. Joseph realizes that sinning against his master—in effect stabbing him in the back—would also be plunging a dagger into the heart of God. He realizes that sin, even sin against other humans, is directed toward God.
A Fractured and Beautiful Faith
Streaming This Weekend, May 24, 2013
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Stephen Smythe-Jones
We look forward to the day of judgement because as Christians it will be a day of celebration, not a day of wrath. For as Christians, if we hold true to the faith until death we are guaranteed a place in Heaven. We will not rejoice in the reality that many will be consigned to the lake of fire, but we will take solace that our God, while a God of mercy, is also a God of justice.
Joseph Luna
The correct biblical understanding of judgment is not the display of God's wrath towards sinful men, but rather God moving forward in order to set things right. In other words, it doesn't necessarily mean "punishment", especially for true believers. It may mean just the opposite, which means giving us a new body and a new world fit for the "new" us! One thing that can really help us see this better is to recognize the terms of the New Covenant found in Heb 10:16-18, which is a direct quote from Jeremiah 31:33-34: "Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more." This particular term of the New Covenant should clearly reveal to us that God is not as much interested in counting our sins as much as we are. On the other hand, the wrath of God must always be seen through covenant eyes and is always directed towards those who are outside of the covenant. Lastly, Calvary should put all believers at ease because it is the place where God dealt with sin and death once and for all.
Shannon Frye
Thanks for your comments, Rick. I guess none of us truly know what will happen after death. I grew up with the "you must be saved" mentality and it's difficult to reject an idea that's been ingrained since childhood. I think of the abused, homeless or mentally ill who are not "saved" waking up to even more torment. But, we cannot comprehend the mysteries of life and the creator and so I pray that ALL will be made well. Again, thank you.