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The anger of God has a higher purpose. You can liken it to the anger of an earthly father who in love for His for his rebellious child, corrects his child. Our Heavenly Father whose ways are perfect, who has all power, will be effective in bringing about His will in the hearts of all. Here in these passages, we see the positive result of the Heavenly Father's anger, indignation, judgments, and zeal. Our God is a consuming fire.
Zephaniah 3
8“Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord,
“For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.
9
“For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
That all of them may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.''
Isaiah 26:9
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
God bless.
Ah yes, Shana. The judgements of the Lord are life flowing from His Life. Every expression of His fire has one glorious end, the elimination of the old to be displaced by the New.
The purpose of the cross is to do away with you, blessed riddance.
Deut. 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
Deut. 9:3 Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.
It is not the wicked that will be dwelling in the devouring fire:
Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil.
Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; We will be able to stand in the presence of a Holy God and not be destroyed:
Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Yes, Birdy_56. More by Dr. Stephen E. Jones, Bible Scholar
"The fact is, God is love. This does not mean that God refuses to judge sin, but His judgments are righteous and are the expression of His character. Anything that is not within the character of God is sin. That is why the law reveals the mind of God. The dim light of the Old Covenant, which did not enjoy the advantages of Pentecost, made it somewhat difficult for men to understand the law. Thus, the law came to be interpreted in ways that presented God as a stern and impersonal Judge, rather than as a loving Father. But Jesus came to correct our view of God, so that we would know Him in a better way.
The judgments of God are eonian, not "eternal." The Greek word comes from the word aion, which means "an age; eon." They are not unending. They pertain to an age, a limited period of time, because they are designed to correct sinners, not to consign them to an eternal state of separation from God.
The judgment is pictured in terms of "fire." God Himself is a consuming fire. He is a passionate God. The Hebrew word for an "angry God" actually means a passionate God. He is a consuming fire. The law, which expresses His character, is also called "a fiery law" (Deut. 33:2). The law is the fire which judges mankind in order to correct all men and bring them into alignment with His character....
This judgment/correction will be eonian in its duration, and "fire" pictures the passionate nature of God to accomplish His loving purpose to a successful conclusion. It is the baptism of fire, by which the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and righteousness, burning the dross within us so that we may attain to the fulness of the stature of Christ. We either allow the Holy Spirit to do this work in us today, or the Holy Spirit will surely do that work in us when He judges the world..." The Judgments of God
We can come to Him willingly today, turning away from a life of sin, and walk by faith, putting to death the old man by His Spirit, become a new creature in Christ, or we will be made willing to come on that day.
It has nothing to do with free will but everything with a Sovereign God accomplishing what He purposes to do in and for His creation. He will bring all eventually in line with His will. Yes, He will change our wills to be in conformity with His will. Such is the power of agape love. It does not yield to ignorance and darkness. It does what is best for the person who is loved. He knows what is best. He is the Creator and this is His creation.
God bless.
Last edited by ShanaBrown; 01-26-2020 at 09:59 AM..
I use to have many sleepless nights when I did not understand the magnitude and depth
of God's love for us.
Now, I don't worry about the future, no matter what happens, because I know that He has all things in
control and I know that His intentions are good.
I know that all things begin and end in Him.
He is going to make all things right in His own time and I fully trust Him. God bless.
Stop your laughing Miss H. The especially are in just as much need of saving as the rest of the fallen wrecks of humanity. They simply have a head start in the reclamation of our loving Father. They are the first-fruits of what is to follow, the entire creation saved and made righteous.
Yes, Birdy_56. More by Dr. Stephen E. Jones, Bible Scholar
"The fact is, God is love. This does not mean that God refuses to judge sin, but His judgments are righteous and are the expression of His character. Anything that is not within the character of God is sin. That is why the law reveals the mind of God. The dim light of the Old Covenant, which did not enjoy the advantages of Pentecost, made it somewhat difficult for men to understand the law. Thus, the law came to be interpreted in ways that presented God as a stern and impersonal Judge, rather than as a loving Father. But Jesus came to correct our view of God, so that we would know Him in a better way.
The judgments of God are eonian, not "eternal." The Greek word comes from the word aion, which means "an age; eon." They are not unending. They pertain to an age, a limited period of time, because they are designed to correct sinners, not to consign them to an eternal state of separation from God.
The judgment is pictured in terms of "fire." God Himself is a consuming fire. He is a passionate God. The Hebrew word for an "angry God" actually means a passionate God. He is a consuming fire. The law, which expresses His character, is also called "a fiery law" (Deut. 33:2). The law is the fire which judges mankind in order to correct all men and bring them into alignment with His character....
This judgment/correction will be eonian in its duration, and "fire" pictures the passionate nature of God to accomplish His loving purpose to a successful conclusion. It is the baptism of fire, by which the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and righteousness, burning the dross within us so that we may attain to the fulness of the stature of Christ. We either allow the Holy Spirit to do this work in us today, or the Holy Spirit will surely do that work in us when He judges the world..." The Judgments of God
We can come to Him willingly today, turning away from a life of sin, and walk by faith, putting to death the old man by His Spirit, become a new creature in Christ, or we will be made willing to come on that day.
It has nothing to do with free will but everything with a Sovereign God accomplishing what He purposes to do in and for His creation. He will bring all eventually in line with His will. Yes, He will change our wills to be in conformity with His will. Such is the power of agape love. It does not yield to ignorance and darkness. It does what is best for the person who is loved. He knows what is best. He is the Creator and this is His creation.
God bless.
Shana: In one way or another the agape love of God prevails. Some come kicking and screaming but the little wills of flesh are in a no win situation of the sovereign Will of all wills.
The deck is stacked in His favour. He does exceedingly above & beyond the great chasm of the fall of the first Adam. Our word for today =
"In order that, by His goodness to us in Christ Jesus, He might display in the Ages to come the transcendent riches of His grace."
Ephesians 2:7 in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Shana: In one way or another the agape love of God prevails. Some come kicking and screaming but the little wills of flesh are in a no win situation of the sovereign Will of all wills.
Yes, I like the way you describe this, Birdy_56. It is a no win situation for those who rebel and or think that God cannot cause them to see the error of their ways and see that He is their Savior. The puny so called free will of man is nothing in the hands of the Creator. God never gave up His Sovereignty in our lives. He does not bow to our wills. Some are in for a rude awakening..In the end they will give Him all of the glory.
Isaiah 45
“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23
“I have sworn by Myself,
The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.
24
“They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
Men will come to Him,
And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame."
God bless.
Last edited by ShanaBrown; 01-26-2020 at 06:03 PM..
Yes, I like the way you describe this, Birdy_56. It is a no win situation for those who rebel and or think that God cannot cause them to see the error of their ways and see that He is their Savior. The puny so called free will of man is nothing in the hands of the Creator. God never gave up His Sovereignty in our lives. He does not bow to our wills. Some are in for a rude awakening..In the end they will give Him all of the glory.
Isaiah 45
“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23
“I have sworn by Myself,
The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.
24
“They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
Men will come to Him,
And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame."
God bless.
The declarations of the Lord are glorious, Shana. The beginning is glorious, the End encapsulates complete surrender to the Lord, not as enemies, but rebels turned into friends in union with Him.
"For this reason, God also lifts Him up above (highly exalts Him; elevates Him over) and by grace gives to Him (graces on Him) the Name -- the one over and above every name!
....to the end that within The Name: Jesus! (or: in union with the name of Jesus; in the midst of the Name belonging to [Yahweh-the-Savior]), every knee (= person) – of the folks upon the heaven (of those belonging to the super-heaven, or [situated] upon the atmosphere) and of the people existing upon the earth and of the folks dwelling down under the ground (or: on the level of or pertaining to subterranean ones) – may bend (or: would bow) in worship, prayer or allegiance,
11. and every tongue (= person) may speak out the same thing (should and would openly agree, confess and acclaim) that Jesus Christ [is] Lord (Master; Owner) – [leading] into [the] glory of Father God (or: unto Father God's good reputation; [progressing] into a manifestation which calls forth praise unto God [the] Father)" -Jonathan Mitchell's New Testament Translation-
Are our broadest hopes broad enough? Shall there be a nook or abyss, in all the universe of God, finally unlightened by the Cross? Shall there be a sin, or sorrow, or pain unhealed? Is the very universe, is creation in all its extent, a field wide enough for the Son of God?
"If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father."
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