Maybe you have been at the stove when you put on a stew, milk, hey, or even gumbo. You turned the knob to low heat so that it would “simmer”. Then you left the room for a little while and sat down to read a book or watch a t.v. program. As you were reading you began to hear a noise in the kitchen, Splash splash, sizzle, sizzle. OH NO! The stew that was simmering in NOW BOILING OVER. You know what I’m talking about. Maybe, as I have done, I left to simmer and ran back into the kitchen and saw that I had burned the stew. It now only simmered and boiled over, it burned.
With that picture in your mind may we look at our world situation. The situation even here in America…the nation founded under Godly principles. But as we look around we see violence, murder, the LGBT+ movement, families being destroyed, abortion (63 million deaths since Roe v Wade), lawlessness, exploitation of the poor, etc., etc.
All of these things are not new to us. These acts against God’s teachings have been around a long time. In fact, these go back to the garden of Eden when Cain killed his brother. Throughout Israel’s history God’s children have rebelled against him: broken the commandments, sacrificed their children, followed other gods, worshipped idols. BUT, remember, in this same history, God keeps His promises.
Deuteronomy 6:19, “and it shall be if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
Remember, there are gods that are not made of wood and stone. Those are named as hoarding, selfishness, consumerism, materialism, etc. These can be worshipped and bowed down to just as much as a figurine.
So back to God’s promises. His people rebelled and followed after other gods. The result: fires, famine, inflation, earthquakes, drought, recession and then CAPTIVITY by another country. Isreal by Assyria and Judah by Babylon. God’s wrath!
In my opinion, here in America, I believe God is angry, and His wrath is just simmering. Judgment is coming. We look around us and see the birth pains. The preliminary events leading to His ultimate wrath. We have heard His voice, read His Word and know that He keeps His promises. When we turn our back on him, God sends warnings thru nature and events to get our attention. Fires, drought, inflation, recession, etc are all coming down on us to get our attention and help us turn back to Him. But as the people of old…WE ARE NOT TURNING BACK TO HIM. God’s wrath is always given because of sin, rebellion and disobedience.
God’s mercy is overwhelming, but there is an end to his patience when there is rampant wickedness and no change in behavior…i.e.the worldwide flood. Genesis 6
So here comes the warnings:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” (Romans 1:18).
“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.” (Romans 2:5).
There were warnings throughout the prophets because of oppression of the poor, sexual immorality, wanton luxury, corrupt laws, adultery, divorce, drunkenness, plunder, greed even robbing God of His tithe. Time after time he sent prophet after prophet to warm the people to turn from their evil ways. But, listen to what the prophet Amos says:
““I did not give you any food in your cities, and there was not enough to eat in any of your towns, but you did not come back to me,” says the Lord. “I held back the rain from you three months before harvest time. Then I let it rain on one city but not on another. Rain fell on one field, but another field got none and dried up. People weak from thirst went from town to town for water, but they could not get enough to drink. Still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord. “I made your crops die from disease and mildew. When your gardens and your vineyards got larger, locusts ate your fig and olive trees. But still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord. “I sent disasters against you, as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with swords, and your horses were taken from you. I made you smell the stink from all the dead bodies, but still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord. “I destroyed some of you as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick pulled from a fire, but still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord. “So this is what I will do to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, get ready to meet your God, Israel.””
Amos 4:6-12 NCV
Hear this friends: “all these birth pangs but STILL YOU DID NOT COME BACK TO ME, God says.
One more warning, BUT God gives a solution to avoiding having His wrath boiling over:
““I may stop the sky from sending rain. I may command the locusts to destroy the land. I may send sicknesses to my people. Then if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:13-14 NCV
THE BIG QUESTION! WILL WE RETURN TO GOD BEFORE THE BIG WRATH?
I am praying for you and your families,
Leonard Navarre
Lubbock, Texas