Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” Revelation 16:1.

On this day before Christmas, we are presented with the theme of “God’s wrath” (the SUPER BOWLS of God’s wrath). Doesn’t seem quite fitting, does it? However, as I think careful about it, the Christmas story is very much a component of God’s wrath—His intolerance and anger toward SIN. It’s appropriate to understand that God’s wrath is not aimed at sinners as much as it is at SIN. He clearly loves sinners (“the world”), but if men persist in clinging to their SIN rather than the life ring of His rescue, they are forced to “perish” along with SIN (John 3:16). (A silly kind of question comes to mind as I ponder this illustration: How long do you think you could tread water while clinging to a 50-pound diamond? Another question: Why in the world would you want to persist in clinging to that stupid diamond and not let go? After all, you can’t tread water forever even without that stupid rock! What value does a diamond have when you’re drowning anyway?!) An overview of Biblical revelation shows that the Christmas story cannot really be understood independent of the Easter story. They are one—the nativity begins it, the cross completes it, and the resurrection confirms it—now it’s up to us to believe it (or disbelieve it)—which is to embrace (or reject) the life ring.

It is good to consider how big GOD’S WRATH really is. If, for some reason, my neighbor gets mad at me, it’s most likely no big deal since he has limited resources for giving me a bad time. But if I make the Sovereign God of the universe mad—Who has unlimited resources—man, that’s a different story—that’s a BIG deal—He could really give me HELL!

I’ve been inspired with Psalm 16:11:“…in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” That’s really a description of heaven—the mind-boggling benefit of embracing the life ring. But turn that around into its converse and you have a description of hell that could read this way: “To reject relationship with the Almighty—our only HOPE—when He has done so much to invite it and provide for it causes one to forfeit the rewards of pleasing Him and receive the consequences—God’s wrath against SIN for evermore.”

There are those who like to make fun of the narrow-sounding “turn or burn” rhetoric of some passionate gospel preachers. But my processing of Biblical revelation would conclude that that message is a whole lot more accurate than the mushy “unconditionally-tolerant love of God” message of some others. I’m convinced that God’s love plays out to be very conditional. This passage supports that fact—and God’s wrath is proof. Please agree—the only options before us really are TURN—or BURN. (And look at the 4th bowl—talk about global warming!)

I’ve said it many times before—and I’ll say it again: THE REASON THE GOOD NEWS IS SO GOOD IS BECAUSE THE BAD NEWS IS SO BAD.