The Wrath of the Lamb

Revelation 6:16 calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,

16 καὶ λέγουσιν τοῖς ὄρεσιν καὶ ταῖς πέτραις· πέσετε ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς καὶ κρύψατε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου,

If you were to take this verse completely out of context it would look absolutely ridiculous. The phrase  τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου looks completely absurd. It's certainly  not something that seems to warrant the preposition ἀπὸ which means "from," but it has the sense not so much of place like εκ does, but it has the idea of being kept apart from something. Their prayer is to be protected from the wrath of the lamb.


You will notice that in this verse the word "Lamb" is spelled with a big "L." It has to be or else it would not make any sense. A fully-grown sheep is hardly threatening. Who is afraid of a lamb? Lambs are for petting zoos. They are certainly not an animal to be feared. You should worry about an angry ram, but not an angry lamb. I keep thinking of the puppet Lambchop.


The point is that Jesus came to be the sacrificial lamb for the world. He was the perfect Passover lamb. He died a humble death on a Roman cross. Just like how the Passover lamb saved the Jews from God's wrath, Jesus' blood saves us from God's wrath and will save us from the judgment to come. 


The problem for those who do not know the Lamb is that He will come back in wrath. He will no longer be like a cute and fuzzy animal to be cuddled. He will return as a conquering king. We can argue about rapture and millenial systems all day. We can talk about the proper way to interpret Revelation for another 2000 years, assuming that the Lord tarries. However, what we cannot do is expect His return to be like His departure. He is going to come back in glory to judge the world. You want to be on His side when He does.

No More Hippie

Revelation 19:15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

15 καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται ῥομφαία ὀξεῖα, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῇ πατάξῃ τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, καὶ αὐτὸς πατεῖ τὴν ληνὸν τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος,

Although I'm not sure that I subscribe to the futurist view of Revelation, there is still much to be gleaned from it.  Folks of every millenial persuasion agree that Christ is going to return in glory.  This passage in Revelation 19 is one of my favorites because it describes just that.  Sadly, much of the church has the image of Jesus as a hippie in a pink dress.  He is Jesus meek and mild who doesn't get mad about anything and just accepts everyone with open arms.  Of course, He does accept repentant sinners with open arms.  But He does not say that "it's all good."

Here we get a glimpse of how it will be when He returns.  He will come back as a judge.  It is not going to be pretty.  Think Aragorn riding in to deal with orcs.  Quite literally, He is going to kick ass and take names.  There are no two ways about it.

I love this because as a man I like having a hero.  Our culture has made many men into heroes.  They could be suave and tough like James Bond.  They could symbolize raw strength like a character in a modern action flick.  They could be intellectuals like Thomas Jefferson.  They could be complete goofballs like Tim Carrey.  We all have our role models and our ideas of what a man should be.

Let's look to Jesus.  He showed incredible grace and compassion while He walked on the earth.  But He did not just sit quietly while detestable things happened.  He cleansed the temple with whips (perhaps twice).  He pronounced woes on the Pharisees.  He did not back down from fights when it was time to fight.  And He will ultimately come back in glory to judge the world.  Are you ready for that?  Are you going to be part of the nations that He strikes down with the sword or will you be on His side?  You'd better decide now before it is too late because the mercy runs out at the day of judgment.

More Holy Fear

Revelation 15:4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

4 τίς οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇ, κύριε, καὶ δοξάσει τὸ ὄνομά σου; ὅτι μόνος ὅσιος, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐφανερώθησαν.

I'm sorry for not blogging much lately.  I've been quite busy in the mornings and, frankly, there hasn't been a ton in Revelation to blog about.  We're getting to the really interesting stuff soon though.  This is another one of those unambiguous passages that needs mention.

Here we read about the folks who did not worship the beast and remained faithful to the lamb.  They make this great statement here about the Lord.  Everyone will eventually worship the Lord.  Some as their Lord and others as their Judge.  But everyone will worship.

The fact is that after the final judgment there will be no atheists.  They will see the majesty of Christ and will not have anywhere else to go but to acknowledge Him.  The problem is that for most it will be too late.  No one knows when He is coming back.  Are you ready for it?

The Great Day of Wrath

Revelation 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

17 ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτῶν, καὶ τίς δύναται σταθῆναι;

Many folks like to paint an image of God as a cosmic Santa Claus.  Or maybe he is like your grandfather who managed to overlook all your faults and love you anyway.  He still gives you treats even when you're naughty, unlike your parents who try to keep rules in place.  Death is a massive campfire with us all singing Kum-Ba-Ah in the sky.

Revelation paints a different picture and that is something we will get into as we go through this book.  Here we get a glimpse of what God's final judgment on the world will look like. It won't be pretty.  There is a rhetorical question at the end of this verse.  τίς δύναται σταθῆναι;  The answer is simple -- nobody.

Christ is going to come back as a righteous judge.  Of course, we naturally think of ourselves as basically good people.  We're certainly not as bad as that person over there.  However, ultimately every sin is going to be judged.  There are two possible outcomes for this.  The first is that you will get what you deserve and you will be judged for your sins for eternity.  God is perfectly holy and cannot abide sin.

The second is that we do not get what we deserve because Christ bore God's wrath for our sins.  However, you need to repent and believe before that can be true for you.  He will wipe your record clean if you acknowledge Him for who He is.  

Salvation is much more than escaping judgment, but it is also that.  When every knee bows at Christ's coming will yours bow to Him as your Lord or as your judge?

Ultimate Justice

2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

9 οἵτινες δίκην τίσουσιν ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, 10  ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐνδοξασθῆναι ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ καὶ θαυμασθῆναι ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύσασιν, ὅτι ἐπιστεύθη τὸ μαρτύριον ἡμῶν ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ.

Here Paul is explaining what will happen to those who were persecuting the Thessalonians.  God would eventually repay them for their persecution and sin.  He would not necessarily do it immediately, but it was coming.  He contrasts their future with that of the saints.  When Christ returns He will be glorified in the saints while those who did not believe will be punished forever.

I have heard complaints about the nature of God because of the so-called problem of evil.  How can God allow such awful things to happen in the world?  Why doesn't he stop evil men from doing evil things?  I would submit three responses to this.

One is that you are talking about a world of absurdities.  Should God turn every bullet into butter?  He certainly could, but does it make any kind of sense for God to operate that way?  We don't know the eventual implications of such modifications to His created order.  He certainly could make these miraculous changes all over the place, but I would submit that would be an absurd world.

Two is that these folks will ultimately be punished in a way more horrifying than anything we can imagine.  It seems that we all have a sense of justice.  I have two small children and I see this in action every day.  It doesn't take a child long to determine what is "fair" relative to his or her world.  It takes a long view to see the justice that God will eventually dole out, but it satisfies my sense of justice knowing that evil will eventually be punished accordingly.

Third, this really speaks to how we perceive God.  If He truly is God and He is truly good, then we can trust what He allows to happen.  When we don't then we are telling God that we don't like the way He runs the world.  That's kind of arrogant, isn't it?

Now this intellectual response may seem a bit cold to someone who just lost a spouse to cancer or to someone who had a storm ravage their house.  I like to think that this is what I would fall back on though.  Nothing in my life belongs to me, including my life.  Christ bought my life with His.  I am not my own.  Therefore, nothing is mine and nothing is owed to me.  An airplane could crash into my house (we are right by the airport, so this is not that ridiculous an idea) and kill the three people sleeping upstairs.  That would be a terrible thing, but I don't think it would change my view of God.  He owes me nothing, but He has given me the greatest gift possible in my salvation.  Were that to happen I would know that there is a reason behind it, even if I could never hope to understand it while on earth.

I am not begging to be tested on this.  But what I do know is that how folks react to pain demonstrates their view of who God is.  Is God really God or are you going to be god and tell Him how to run His world because you don't like it?

Being Known

Acts 19:15 But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?"

15 ἀποκριθὲν δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρὸν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τὸν [μὲν] Ἰησοῦν γινώσκω καὶ τὸν Παῦλον ἐπίσταμαι, ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνες ἐστέ;

Some Jewish exorcists thought that they could do what Paul did by invoking Jesus' name indirectly.  They spoke of the Jesus that Paul preached.  The evil spirit was not impressed by this and overpowered them.

This begs a question for us.  Do you know Jesus or do you just know about Him?  Do you know a Jesus that has been made for you either by things you've experienced or things you've thought?  Or do you know the Jesus of Scripture?  Is He a hippie in a pink dress or is He the King of Glory who will return in triumph to judge the world?  One is cultural and one is biblical.

It is vital that we know Him.  When He comes to judge the world you are going to want to know Him.  He is either going to be your best friend who has come to take you home or He is going to be someone you don't know and you will be terrified of Him.  I look forward to that day.  Do you?

A Calvinist Call

Zephaniah 2:1-3

(1) Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation,

(2) before the decree takes effect --before the day passes away like chaff-- before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.

(3) Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Calvinists are often accused of having a theology that is anti-evangelism. Critics figure that if God has an elected people chosen before the beginning of time then there is no point in telling people the gospel. I think that the only thing it changes is our language. I don't think it is wise to speak about God's will with any kind of absolute certainty since we don't know who He chose for salvation. However, we can still evangelize with confidence because we know that it is God who saves and not our own cleverness.

Zephaniah seems to have that kind of perspective in this passage. He is calling folks to repent, but he also acknowledges that not all will be hidden. He also knows that the day of the Lord is coming on the Lord's time, not mankind's. Therefore, we had better repent sooner rather than later.

Are you ready for the day of the Lord's anger? If you wonder what's taking Him so long I would refer you to 2 Peter 3:9. God is gathering all of His elect and then He is coming back in glory. Are you going to be ready for that?

God Is...

Nahum 2:3

(3) The shield of his mighty men is red; his soldiers are clothed in scarlet. The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them; the cypress spears are brandished.

The Church of Oprah and other vague spiritualities like to emphasize the fact that God is love. It is true that God is loving. As I've written before, we have a hard time imagining just what His hesed is all about. We can get parts of it, but we can't really comprehend it.

This passage tells us that there is a side of God that you don't want to be on. One theory about the color of these shields is that they are red from getting bloody in battle. In other words, they remain red because the blood of God's enemies is regularly splashed on them. I'm not sure how that fits into Oprah's image of her god.

The book of Nahum is a prophecy against Nineveh. While the city did repent in the days of Jonah they turned back to their evil ways and God used Nahum to proclaim a judgment against them. God always takes wickedness seriously.

This is why it is so important to come to the cross and live. Apart from the saving work of Christ we are as doomed as Nineveh was. I'd rather be behind the warriors with the bloody shields than in front of them, wouldn't you?

The Solution to Evil

Nahum 1:7-8

(7) The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

(8) But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

A lot of folks have a problem with the God of the Bible because of the problem of evil. They wonder how a good God could allow so much suffering and evil in the world. Why doesn't He eradicate it?

I would say that these folks are being too small-minded. We all naturally tend to think of this world and experiences within it. They are looking for some kind of earthly justice. God has something much bigger in mind. They will suffer eternally for their evil, while the good will enjoy fellowship with Him forever.

Keep in mind that there is no one good, so this would be a real problem if we were left on our own. However, one who was perfectly good stepped in our place to take God's wrath for us. Christ died on the cross so that we might be reckoned among the righteous.

In the end, we don't really want a just God as we understand justice. We want a gracious God. The good news is that perfectly describes the true and living God in heaven.

Reversal

Joel 3:10-12

(10) Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, "I am a warrior."

(11) Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD.

(12) Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

This is at the end of the book of Joel as the Lord pronounces judgment on the nations. Basically, this tells them that they will be in serious trouble. And, for what it's worth, judging in the Valley of Jehoshaphat is kind of a play on words because the name "Jehoshaphat" comes from the word that means "to judge."

Verse 10 is what got me when I read this today. Frankly, until I read the note in my ESV Study Bible I read it backwards because I am used to seeing that imagery in terms of the final peace that will come when Christ returns in glory. While God's people will be able to turn their swords into plowshares, those who are not His will need to do the reverse. Of course, it won't help them, but they're going to want to put up as much of a fight as they can. The long and short of it is that you want to be on the winning team at the end.

This verse also makes me think of a basic hermeneutical issue. My school teaches a Dispensational hermeneutic. That means that they take every passage literally unless there is a very good reason to see it otherwise. But what to do with these plowshares and swords? Two hundred years ago it would have seemed perfectly reasonable to take this literally. Now we might see it as a general metaphor that we will not need weapons of war anymore. I think that is a perfectly valid interpretation, but isn't it conditioned by the culture? If we could have taken this literally 200 years ago and now realize that we don't need to do that, then weren't folks reading it wrong 200 years ago?

I'll have to bounce this off some friends.

Who you Root For

Ezekiel 25:6-7

(6) For thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel,

(7) therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you, and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

It's football season in case you haven't noticed. My alma mater has a huge game tonight. The honor of the school and the conference is on the line as both have been much maligned over the past few years. Normally I would do homework on a Saturday night, but this is a special enough game that I will take time to watch it with my brother-in-law. He and I go all the way back to our freshman year at OSU in 1991, so this is something we do together.

Millions of people around the country will be doing something similar this weekend. Many will even do it twice -- once on Saturday for their college and then on Sunday for their pro team. People rearrange their lives for these games. I think that, in the main, it is idolatrous and foolish. It can certainly be good fun, but more and more serious Christians are realizing how easily it turns to idolatry.

In the end, it really doesn't matter if you root for OSU or USC tonight. It doesn't matter if you root for the Browns or the Vikings. When Jesus comes back in judgment I don't think anyone will be concerned about who won the Super Bowl this year. The games serve little ultimate purpose by themselves.

However, this passage makes it clear that there is a kind of rooting that can be disastrous. You want to be rooting for God's team. Now I don't think it's as easy to determine God's team as many out there would have you believe. I'm not sure that His team is necessarily the Republican party or the Southern Baptist Convention, though I think that they contain some of His players. His team is composed of those who love Him and want to glorify Him with their lives. It is those who have repented from their old way of life and have turned to worship Him.

This passage shows us what happens to those who root against God. It won't be pretty in the end. I submit that it is a good idea to get on His side earlier rather than later.

Burned Away

Ezekiel 22:18-22

(18) "Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are dross of silver.

(19) Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

(20) As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you.

(21) I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it.

(22) As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD; I have poured out my wrath upon you."

Ezekiel continues his statements of woe upon Israel. This passage is particularly striking. He is not describing a purification process, but a complete destruction. Note verse 18. All of the house of Israel has become dross.

This stands in contrast to the Christian life. The process of sanctification is often compared to a silversmith burning the dross away in a fire. Many have seen the email that describes how a silversmith knows when he has burned enough away and he says, "That's easy. It's when I can see myself in the silver that I know I'm done." This is then compared to how we are sanctified when we look like Jesus.

This is a lovely image and I think it does apply to the Christian. But for those who do not know Jesus there is going to be a melting process. The problem is that there is nothing pure in there to save. All of it is going to be consumed. I believe that this concept has a parallel in the New Testament:

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

(11) For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

(12) Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw--

(13) each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

(14) If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

(15) If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

There is going to be fire. Some may have works that survive the testing. However, none of that will matter if the foundation is not Christ. I hope that He is the foundation for your life. There is going to be final judgment. Are you ready for the fire?

God is Love?

Lamentations 2:2
(2) The Lord has swallowed up without mercy all the habitations of Jacob; in his wrath he has broken down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought down to the ground in dishonor the kingdom and its rulers.

I continue discussing the nature of God with some folks at an online message board. The leader of that board insists that his view of God is correct. He sees God as love, but not necessarily as personal. He also sees all religions as basically the same. Of course, these things aren't true, though there are elements of truth to his belief. I am trying to give a biblical view of who God is. Hopefully someone will listen there.

This verse really turns the whole "God is love" concept on its ear, doesn't it? Yes, there are two verses that describe God this way in 1 John, but to see Him simply as love at the exclusion of His other traits is a big mistake. Here we see that God is just. In fact, we see that He "has swallowed up without mercy." That doesn't sound like the God we know, right?

We must remember that God is holy. He is also just. His holiness and justice demand satisfaction for sin. That is what Christ accomplished on the cross. He did not show mercy to His Son, but let Him bear the curse of the Father's wrath. What a Savior!

And, lest we think that the Old Testament God is somehow different than the New Testament God (which of course is ridiculous since God doesn't change), there is this verse:

Lamentations 2:19
(19) "Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street."

This is a call to repent and prayerfully seek God's mercy. That was all that they could do in the face of His judgment. That's all we can do too. The good news for us is that on this side of the cross we are certain that there is grace.

The King and Priest

Jeremiah 33:14-18
(14) "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
(15) In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
(16) In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'
(17) "For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,
(18) and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever."

The Old Testament speaks to three offices: prophet, priest, and king. Each of these had their parts to play in society. Christ came as the fulfillment of these offices. This passage speaks to two of them.

When I first read this today I was a little confused by verse 18. After all, isn't the temple unnecessary now that Christ has come? Why would anyone still need to burn sacrifices after Christ came to atone for our sins and be the propitiation of God's wrath?

I think the point is that Christ fulfills that office for us. Now that He has come we no longer need the blood of bulls and goats. He has already served as the sacrifice for all of our sin. His sacrifice is the rock on which we stand rather than our own achievements.

Of course, He is also the righteous king that sits on the throne of David. He will also sit in the judgment seat one day. My stepfather is an attorney and one of the things I've learned from him over the years is that it is good to know the judge. If you are in Christ you already know the judge. What a blessed promise!

Using Tools

11 p This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and t these nations shall serve the king of Babylon u seventy years. 12 Then after u seventy years are completed, v I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, v the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, v making the land an everlasting waste. 13 I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written w in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 x For many nations x and great kings shall make slaves even of them, y and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

(Pardon the formatting as I'm traveling and using the ESV Study Bible online text).

I think I've covered this before, but I just find this fascinating. God plans to use Babylon as a means to punish His people. But at the end of this time God intends to punish Babylon too.

This tells me a couple of things. First, it shows me that God is completely sovereign. He can do what He wants with people and we never have the right to say, "that's not fair!" I am always taken back to Romans 9 for this as well.

It also tells me that we should be very careful about judging the merits of a people or an organization based on the way they are prospering or not prospering. There seems to be a certain kind of pragmatism within American evangelicalism that automatically equates numerical success with faithfulness. In other words, a prospering ministry must be a faithful one. They may not do things the way we think they should be done, but if they prosper that is a sign of God's blessing; therefore, we should withhold judgment despite the biblical warrants we have for concern.

God's treatment of Babylon tells me that we cannot do that. I have heard Paul Washer say that Joel Osteen is actually God's judgment upon the folks who want to hear his teaching. They don't want the Bible, but they do want to have a sense of affirmation. God uses Joel Osteen to give them what they want, which will ultimately lead to their own destruction. After all, the rain falls on the just and unjust.

Let's remain faithful to the Bible. Let's use the Bible as our benchmark. You never know when a seemingly successful group may actually be a tool like Babylon was.

What Will You Do?

Isaiah 10:3-4
(3) What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?
(4) Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

This comes at the end of a section bewailing the people's impotent self-sufficiency. They didn't see the need to repent. God kept giving them reasons to repent. He let evil creep in that they would see the need to turn. Yet they just kept ignoring Him.

There will come a day when everyone will see the Lord and everyone will repent. The problem is that for most it will be too late. This begs two questions:

- If you've not repented in humble submission to the Lord, what stops you?
- If you have repented, what are you doing to spread the message to those who haven't?

Number 2 hits me deeply. I think of some of the family strife I've caused with my sharing of the gospel. It's particularly hard with those who don't think they already have it. In the end God is going to judge. Are you ready?

Ready?

Isaiah 2:17-21
(17) And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
(18) And the idols shall utterly pass away.
(19) And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.
(20) In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats,
(21) to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.

There is going to be a day when there are no more atheists on earth. In fact, there won't even be any moderate deists. Everyone will know that Jesus is Lord, but it will be too late.

It's easy to focus on all the "God is love" concepts in Scripture without considering what His wrath will look like someday. Personally, this gives me great hope. I know that God will exact justice in all the places where it looks like there is none right now. He is going to clean up the world.

I just want to make sure I have a head start by living like I believe that this is going to happen.