Willie Martin
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 Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2003 10:00 am Post subject: An Angry God - 7 |
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The misery you are exposed to is that which God will
inflict to that end, that he might show what that wrath of
Jehovah is. God hath had it on his heart to show to angels
and men, both how excellent his love is, and also how
terrible his wrath is. Sometimes earthly kings have a mind
to show how terrible their wrath is, by the extreme
punishments they would execute on those that would provoke
them.
Nebuchadnezzar, that mighty and haughty monarch of the
Chaldean empire, was willing to show his wrath when enraged
with Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego; and accordingly gave
orders that the burning fiery furnace should be heated seven
times hotter than it was before; doubtless, it was raised to
the utmost degree of fierceness that human art could raise
it.
But the great God is also willing to show his wrath, and
magnify his awful majesty and mighty power in the extreme
sufferings of his enemies. Rom. ix. 22.
"What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his
power known, endure with much long-suffering the vessels of
wrath fitted to destruction?"
And seeing this is his design, and what he has determined,
even to show how terrible the unrestrained wrath, the fury
and fierceness of Jehovah is, he will do it to effect. There
will be something accomplished and brought to pass that will
be dreadful with a witness. When the great and angry God
hath risen up and executed his awful vengeance on the poor
sinner, and the wretch is actually suffering the infinite
weight and power of his indignation, then will God call upon
the whole universe to behold that awful majesty and mighty
power that is to be seen in it. Isa. xxxiii. 12-14.
"And the people shall be as the burnings of lime, as
thorns cut up shall they be burnt in the fire. Hear ye that
are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near,
acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid;
fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites," &c.
Thus it will be with you that are in an unconverted state,
if you continue in it; the infinite might, and majesty, and
terribleness of the omnipotent God shall be magnified upon
you, in the ineffable strength of your torments. You shall
be tormented in the presence of the holy angels, and in the
presence of the Lamb; and when you shall be in this state of
suffering, the glorious inhabitants of heaven shall go forth
and look on the awful spectacle, that they may see what the
wrath and fierceness of the Almighty is; and when they have
seen it, they will fall down and adore that great power and
majesty. Isa. lxvi. 23, 24.
"And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to
another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh
come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go
forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have
transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh."
4). It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer
this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but
you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to
this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you
shall see a long for ever, a boundless duration before you,
which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul;
and you will absolutely despair of ever having any
deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all.
You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages,
millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting
with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you
have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by
you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to
what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be
infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in
such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about
it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it
is inexpressible and inconceivable: For "who knows the power
of God's anger?"
How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and
hourly in the danger of this great wrath and infinite
misery! But this is the dismal case of every soul in this
congregation that has not been born again, however moral and
strict, sober and religious, they may otherwise be. |
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