Pure Hatred

Do you know how God's anger is described?

"Fierce", "strong", "full of fury", "jealous", and "burns against us" are only a few examples from the Old Testament of God being angry. Obviously, it's a good idea to get some context, and actually read why these adjectives are used. It's clear that God gets upset at sin, wickedness, and injustice. Some believe this is a reason to not believe in God. How can God love them and still allow there to be a place called hell, or be so angry?

It never occurred to me that God treats sin like an enemy. I mean the very denotation of "fierce" in regard to anger almost makes one think of a man with a sword against another man's throat. The fact is I think we've been sold a defective bill of goods, if we never see the side of God that gets angry especially at injustice.

Jesus described God as "Our Heavenly Father" in the model prayer. Usually we think of "heavenly" meaning sublime, which is true of God, but think of it this way. What father would stand by and do nothing while his daughter was being raped in front of him? Can you imagine someone standing by and yawning? No, a good father would get fired up and run to his little girl's rescue and beat the snot out of that guy. Do you think that your Heavenly Father, who is not evil, won't repay others for injustice?

Speaking of Jesus, He didn't exactly drive out the merchants in front of the temple with a broom saying "shoo shoo". No, he made a whip, and cracked it across some behinds telling them to leave and then yelled at them "It is written! "My house shall be a house for prayer! But you've turned it into a den of thieves!" The disciples remembered what was written about Him. "Zeal consumes me for your house."

So how does this relate to hell, judgment, and God's anger? Suppose your Dad is a judge. You did something illegal, and are before him in court. You've driven over the speed limit into oncoming traffic. Guitly! You are fined by the judge for $4000. You don't have enough money. Imagine your Dad coming down from the bench, and paying your fines. That's the Gospel in a nutshell. Your sins are crimes against God's moral code (the ten commandments). If you break the law, you must pay for your crimes. Your sins cost more than you are able to pay. Only God can pay them for you. That's what Jesus did on the cross some 2000 years ago. God hates sin. He gets angry at sin. He loves us, but He can't stand the sins we've committed. Jesus has taken the punishment that should've been ours. All of God's hot blazing pure hatred was poured all over Jesus.

It's the purity of God that will really be the thing that blows us all away. That's why Paul describes the day of judment as great and terrible. Men will hide under rocks rather than be exposed by the light of the King of kings. It will be a great day for those who've been expecting Him, and a terrible one for those who have pushed Him away. The Bible says that those who are afraid are the ones expecting judgment. This makes sense if you know that you're a wanted criminal, and the judge you're going to see isn't crooked, and can't be bribed. You're looking at prison for certain, unless there is a way out. Jesus is that way out. If hell makes you afraid, you should be. I'm not confusing this with death. Unless Jesus decides to come back, we will all face death. The question is whether you will face it with or without hope? Hell was established for the devil and his angels. It was never intended for humanity. Jesus preached more on hell than any other topic. Why? God is compassionate. As Jesus said, "I am not willing that any should perish, but that all men should have everlasting life."

Someone once asked me, "If God is loving, then why is He sending me to hell?" God is loving, but He is also just. He can't break His own laws. We have broken His laws, therfore there must be a consequence. So, the reality is, we are sending ourselves to hell, if we decide to push away the offerring of Jesus blood for our atonement. Our judgment, is on our head at that point.