INTRODUCTION

 

One of the most misunderstood and misrepresented topics in the Bible is the “wrath of God.” God punishing sinners in “wrath” is a recurring theme that runs throughout the Bible. The “wrath of God” has puzzled the human race for millennia, and not surprisingly: how can one reconcile “the wrath of God” with the love of God? Isn’t this a most puzzling paradox? And yet this is a highly important subject, one which every human being needs to know and understand.  

There are many principles we must keep in mind as we study “the wrath of God”. But the foremost is this: all the puzzling examples of “the wrath of God” must be in harmony with the revelation Jesus Christ gave of God. If Jesus came to fully reveal the Fatherwhich He repeatedly claimed to do, then what did He reveal regarding “the wrath of God”?  

Jesus is our final arbiter, our only foundation, the only unmovable criteria upon which we base our complete and final understanding of God’s ways of being and acting. Anything outside of Jesus Christ’s revelation of God’s heart and character can be discarded as private interpretation and mere human reasoning based upon the traditions we inherited from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is because Jesus is the only revelation of God’s pure principles of the Tree of Life.  

The next thing we must keep in mind is the theme of the war between Satan and God, “the great controversy.” We cannot arrive at a correct understanding of the “wrath of God” without understanding it in the context of this “controversy,” or to be more precise, this battle between God and Satan. This is a war of ideas which was brought on by Satan’s hostile attack on God’s government of agape love. If we leave the Devil out of the picture as we try to understand the “wrath of God,” we are bound to arrive at all possible erroneous conclusions, which is indeed what has happened with many, and is something the great deceiver would most happily intend for all to do.  

Often, when the Bible describes the “wrath of God,” it does so in the context of the gods. Throughout the Bible, God’s people, who should have known better, suffer the “wrath of God” only after they left God and went over to worship the gods of their surrounding neighbours.  

The leading biblical chapter that explains “the wrath of God” is in the Book of Romans—chapter 1:18-32, which we will study phrase by phrase as we proceed. There, we will find all we need in order to understand this biblical term that has kept us confused for so long. Once we look at it carefully, it will tell us what “the wrath of God” is, why it happens, when it happens, and how it happens. No study of “the wrath of God” can be credible without a careful exegesis of Romans chapter one. This is a critical study that should rely completely on the Bible and allow the Bible only to define itself.  

Then it is no surprise that this extremely important biblical text also brings the “wrath of God” into the context of the gods. It talks of exchanging “the truth of God into a lie” and worshipping and serving “the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). The “creature” here is explained in verse twenty-three:  

 

and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things (Romans 1: 23)  

 

Changing the “glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man” is understandable. We have done that since Adam and Eve chose to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We have always done the opposite of what should be done; we make God into our own image instead of modelling ourselves after Him. We think God thinks and acts like us. But this is not the case. 

Having separated ourselves from God by that one single action of choosing to eat fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, our human race entered the domain of “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4: 4). He then twisted our minds about the true God by maligning and misrepresenting Him through the gods. In this way, Satan has portrayed to us an incredibly cruel, perverse and perverted picture of God. The gods’ representations of the Creator were of such a nature as to cause mankind to feel forced into buying God’s favours. This is because the gods themselves are gods of reward and punishment, gods of Good and Evil, gods who operate through the corrupted, dual, mixed principles of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  

The only solution to this foundational problem of mistaking the character of God for the character of the gods was for the true God to send someone down here to correct our misunderstandingThat someone is Jesus Christ, who is the “express image” of “the only true God” (Hebrews 1:3, John 17:3).  

So far so good; we can understand what Paul is telling us. However, what do “birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping things” have to do with the glory—that is, the character (Exodus 33:18-19)—of God? Clearly these “birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping things” must be symbolic. Birds, cattle, and reptiles have nothing to do with the war between God and Satan—except as to be used as symbols. These must be symbols that refer to the idols, who in turn are themselves symbols of something much greater than just a sculpted piece of wood, stone or precious metal. Idols are visual representations of the gods and indeed, many of the pagan gods take the form of “birds, four-footed beasts and creeping things.”  

Take Osiris, the Egyptian god of fertility, for example. He was also the god of the underworld, the god of judgment, and known as the ‘beneficent” god. He was sometimes worshiped as a bull, which is a “four-footed beast,” and was most likely the calf-god the people of Israel demanded that Aaron fashion out of their molten gold while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from Jehovah. 

Many gods were also worshipped in the form of serpents—“creeping things.” Egypt itself is filled with serpent imagery. The head regalia of Tutankhamun for instance, the best-known Pharaoh in our times, is a depiction of a cobra ready to attack. What appears to be his goatee is really the cobra’s tail. And in case we have any doubts, the cobra is also carved on King Tut’s headpiece along with a vulture—another ominous symbol.  

Notice how one Bible commentary describes the gods under the same symbols listed in Romans chapter one, verse twenty-three:  

 

Gods in human form were common in Greek and Roman religion. The worship of all kinds of creatures, such as bulls [FOUR-FOOTED BEASTS], crocodiles [CREEPING THINGS], serpents [CREEPING THINGS], and ibis [BIRD], was prevalent in Egypt. In imitation of the idolatry of Egypt the Israelites made their golden calf [FOUR-FOOTED BEAST] (Ex. 32:4). Later Jeroboam set up two golden calves at Dan and Bethel and offered sacrifices to them (1 Kings 12:28–32). Some of the more cultured pagans may have regarded the images as mere symbolic representations, but many of the common people saw in the idols the very gods themselves. The Bible does not take any such distinction into account, but simply condemns all image worshipers as idolaters (SDA Commentary VOL 6, p. 480, emphasis added)  

 

Notice how the common people “saw in the idols the very gods themselves.” Who then were the gods of every generation and people since the fall of Adam? Were they mere pieces of art? Were they mere figments of people’s imaginations? Who does the Bible say the gods were? Notice what David says: 

 

…but were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: Which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,  and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them (Psalm 106:35-41, emphasis added).  

 

According to these verses, the gods were devils, demons. By sacrificing to the gods the people were sacrificing “unto devils.” The people of God served the idols of the heathen, and the idols were representations of demons. By worshipping an idol they were worshipping demons, devils, fallen angels, and ultimately Satan himself.  

From David’s words we learn that God was so angry at the people for worshipping these gods that “His wrath was kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.” Is that all? Did God simply get angry when His people worshipped the gods, was He merely furious at them? Was He being vindictive when He allowed “they that hated them” to rule over them? Is this how God reacts to those who choose to go against His will? 

The quintessential question we must ask ourselves as we study the biblical “wrath of God,” then, is this: what is God’s response when human beings depart from Him to worship the gods? How does God, whom the Bible defines as being love, react in a situation such as this? Does He really get angry in the way we understand anger? Does He lash out? Does He lose His character of love? Does He become a dual God of Good and Evil? What role does He play in the “wrath of God”?  

These questions probe at the very core of God’s character. We must find answers that harmonize with the entirety of the Bible, and as we already said, that harmonize with the sole true representation of God—Jesus Christ. How did Jesus react to those who left, rejected, and even killed Him? Jesus, the ultimate cornerstone of our edifice of understanding of the true God cannot be left out of the picture. If we do this, we fall back into the teachings of the gods, for they are the “broad” “way” on this earth. Anything outside of Jesus’ “narrow” revelation of God has been tainted by the lies of the enemy of God and man:

 

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:13). 

 

Furthermore, before we can understand “the wrath of God,” we must also realize that the phrase “the wrath of God” is a biblical term. Therefore, “the wrath of God” is not exactly what it appears to be. This term, as is the case with any term, should not be interpreted in a literal way. Thus, “the wrath of God” should not be understood to mean that God gets angry with sinners and then decides to destroy them.  

What’s more, the term “the wrath of God” does not mean that God gets angry in the way that human beings get angry. This would be a rather shallow and pre-conceived interpretation of this term. Thus, before we can understand what the term “the wrath of God” really means we must: 

 

1. First and foremost, allow Jesus to guide us into the proper knowledge of God’s character. 

2. Secondly, allow the Bible to define it. 

2. Thirdly, we must study the entire Bible to see:  

a. How this term has been used. 

b. What causes it—what factors activate it?  

c. What happened when it was used in the past. 

 

We must also research the word “wrath” both in Greek and in Hebrew. The Greek word for wrath is orgēThis is the Greek word most used in the context of “the wrath of God” in the New Testament. Strong’s Concordance defines orgē as “properly desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind)” (Strong’s Concordance). “Desire” is the primary meaning of orgē—it indicates a passionate, strong, extreme sentiment.  

The etymology of the word orgē also deserves some attention. Orgē comes from the word oregomai, which means “to stretch oneself, that is, reach out after (long for): covet after, desire.” The word oregomai itself is “middle voice of apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary” (Strong’s Concordance), the “obsolete primary” being the word oros. If we look at this “obsolete primary” we find that it means “a mountain, hill, or mount,” (Strong’s Concordance). Oros in turn comes from another word, orō, which means “to rise or rear” (Strong’s Concordance). 

This last word orō, meaning “to rise or rear” brings to mind another Bible passage related to “the wrath of God.” The verse in question is Isaiah 28:21, which is the only reference in the Bible to God’s strange act, in which God rises up: 

 

For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth [ANGRY, NKJV] as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, his strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act (Isaiah 28:21, KJV, emphasis added). 

 

This verse is packed with information, and later we will examine and study it in detail, word by word, after we explain what “the wrath of God” is. The reader will then see that in this verse there is a universe of information that is extremely relevant for us who are living particularly right now, at this time in history. 

There are many words for “wrath” in Hebrew, and each one of them has a distinct character, color, and flavor. We will not study each of them here except to point out that they are filled with subtlety, and shed much light on the events in which “the wrath of God” was exercised.  

In the New Testament, the apostle James addressed the issue of wrath. This is what he said: 

 

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:19-21, emphasis added). 

 

James’ words are foundational, and as we study “the wrath of God” we must always keep them in mind. We must always remember that “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” This statement is extremely important because from the start of our study on “the wrath of God” it informs us that there are two kinds of wrathhuman wrath—“the wrath of man”—and godly wrath—“the wrath of God.”  

What James is communicating to us is that man’s wrath—which comes from the flesh, from the moral system of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—is not in harmony with God’s righteousness which is from the Tree of Life. Therefore, man’s wrath “does not produce the righteousness of God.” Hence, “the wrath of man” cannot be the same thing as “the wrath of God,” and vice versa. Consequently, “the wrath of God” must “produce the righteousness of God.”  

Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi provide an excellent example of “the wrath of man” which “does not produce the righteousness of God.” We learn about it from Jacob’s blessings to each one of his sons. Just before his death, Jacob blessed all his sons. When the patriarch arrived at Simeon and Levi—the two brothers who had avenged their sister’s honor by killing not only those who had personally dishonored her but also all the males in their city—he said: 

 

Simeon and Levi are brothers; 

Instruments of cruelty [CHÂMÂS: VIOLENCE] are in their dwelling place. 

Let not my soul enter their council; 

Let not my honor be united to their assembly; 

For in their anger they slew a man, 

And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. 

Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; 

And their wrath, for it is cruel! 

I will divide them in Jacob 

And scatter them in Israel (Genesis 49:5-7, emphasis added). 

 

Jacob knew that Simeon and Levi were brothers—after all they were his sons! What he meant by saying that they “are brothers” is that they were alike, similar, cut from the same cloth, so to speak. “Instruments of cruelty [VIOLENCE] are in their dwelling place.” Jacob understood that Simeon and Levi’s violent wrath was cruel, and as such it was not in harmony with God. Their anger, their wrath was “cursed.” For that reason, he said, “Let not my soul enter their council.”  

Jacob did not want to join his sons in their cruel wrath: “let not my honor be united to their assembly.” It seems Jacob is saying, “Let no one think that I condoned their behavior, or that I think and act like them in this regard.” “Cursed be their anger [THEIR WRATH] for it is fierce.” Consequently, because of their misguided sense of justice and wrath, Simeon and Levi would be divided and scattered.  

“The wrath of God” then has to be a term that means something altogether different from “the wrath of man”—from what man considers wrath. God’s wrath cannot be cruel, violent, or cursed, for then it would be like man’s wrath.  

We make God into our own image when we think that God reacts in wrath to injustice as we do. We make Him into our own image when we think He reacts in the way we do when we are contradicted, or when others don’t go along with our way. Simeon and Levi’s wrath was in accordance to “man’s wrath; and as a result, their wrath did not “produce the righteousness of God.” 

 As we study the “wrath of God,” we must always keep in mind that there is a cosmic spiritual war taking place behind the scenes of our everyday lives. This war between Christ and Lucifer is a war between two different and entirely separate moral laws: God’s moral law of unconditional agape love, with freedom and nonviolence, and Satan’s moral law of Good and Evil—the violent and enslaving moral law of reward and punishment. As we proceed, we will see how this Good and Evil system operates when we discuss the kingdom of the gods.  

“The wrath of God” is a mechanism within the war between God and Satan. This means that when something happens, then something else happens, and so forth. There is a domino effect taking place here, and Satan has a pivotal part to play in this mechanism. It is very important that we understand what part he plays in it, and what part God plays in it.  

Everyone needs to understand the war between God and Satan and the mechanism of “the wrath of God”—why? Because it is possible for every human being to avoid “the wrath of God.” Everyone may escape it if they choose to do so. The operative word here is “choice.” When “the wrath of God” happened in the past, everyone involved also had the choice to avoid it. Sadly, often many chose not to do what it takes to avert it. We have the advantage of looking back at the mistakes of the past and of making correct choices right now before the final “wrath of God” takes place again in the very near future. 

The mechanism of “the wrath of God” was set in motion many times in the past, and this history is recorded in the Bible. The Old Testament is filled with verses that describe events in which “the wrath of God” was in operation. Here are just a handful: 

 

And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; it consumed them like stubble (Exodus 15:7, emphasis added). 

 

If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless (Exodus 22:23-24, emphasis added). 

 

Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation” (Exodus 32:10, emphasis added). 

 

But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague (Numbers 11:33, emphasis added).  

 

Also in Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry enough with you to have destroyed you (Deuteronomy 9:8, emphasis added).  

 

Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us (2 Kings 22:13, emphasis added). 

 

Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass (2 Chronicles 24:18, emphasis added). 

 

Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, in that you provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth (Jeremiah 44:7-8, emphasis added)? 

 

These are just a few out of many examples of “the wrath of God” in the Bible. If not understood correctly, this handful of verses would give us a picture of an arbitrary, revengeful, punishing and cruel God who overthrows and consumes those who rise up against Him. This God kills with the sword those who reject Him, leaving women widowed and children fatherless. He sends plagues against His own people for wanting to eat bird meat—“while the meat was still between their teeth”—and when further provoked, He destroys them. This is a volatile and capricious God whose wrath is ignited at the slightest provocation and greatly aroused if the people do not follow His every word. 

We must ask ourselves: Is the Creator God indeed such a vindictive, vicious dictator? What would the appropriate response to a God like this be—love or fear? What’s more, is this the God Jesus Christ revealed while on earth, He who said “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”? (John 14:9) Is this a picture of a God of pure love, as revealed by Jesus Christ? Did the meek and gentle Lamb of God— “the express image of the Father” (Hebrews 1:3)—ever demonstrate such an arbitrary, spiteful, and despotic temperament? 

And yet… these words about “the wrath of God” are clearly written in the inspired word of God. Furthermore, the events described above are all true—people did die as a result of “the wrath of God.” Obviously then, there is more to this than meets the eye. We hope this will become crystal clear once we pull up our sleeves and start digging through the Scriptures.  

The Bible predicts that there will be a final event, soon to take place, in which “the wrath of God” will be poured out in “full strength”—without mixture. The writers of this book believe that this upcoming event is imminent and will be experienced by this generation. This future “wrath of God” is prophesied throughout the Bible, but is very clearly spelled out in Revelation chapter fourteen, and is embedded in the message of the third angel: 

 

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation (Revelation 14:9-10, emphasis added). 

 

In Revelation chapter six, we read that this will coincide with Jesus’ second coming: 

 

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17, emphasis added) 

 

The upcoming wrath prophesied in these verses will be “poured out full strength”—which means there will be no saving grace here. This book is coming out as a warning for all who have eyes to see and ears to hear so that they may escape this terrifying, apocalyptic future which is predicted to happen soon. 

It is not God’s will that we suffer “the wrath of God.” In fact, He wants us to avoid it at all costs! Thus, He shows us the way to escape it. Listen to what He inspired the apostle Paul to write: 

 

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9, emphasis added). 

 

For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, emphasis added). 

 

Before we can avoid “the wrath of God,” however, we must know what it means. We must also realize that it is real, it is coming, and it will be fierce. This is no trifling matter, and it will affect all who do not run to the only shelter God has provided—Jesus Christ. Our purpose in writing this present work is that it will somehow help the reader to escape the devastating destruction that will come upon the world seemingly like a flood due to the so-called “wrath of God. 

Finally, there are two biblical devices we want to bring to the reader’s attention that will help in understanding the study of the Scriptures. The first one is types and antitypes. The Blue Letter Bible defines them thus: 

A “Type” then is some “person,” or “event,” or “ceremony” that is recorded to “foreshadow” some future “person,” or “event,” or “ceremony.” The “future” “‘person,’ ‘event,’ or ‘ceremony’” is the antitype.  

We have chosen one example from the Blue Letter Bible: Joseph and Jesus. Joseph is just one of the many types of Jesus. Joshua, Jonah, and Aaron the high priest were also among the many types of Jesus. This is how the Blue Letter Bible describes the type-antitype relationship between Jesus and Joseph: 

  

Joseph was “beloved” of his father, so was Jesus. 

Joseph was sent unto his brethren, so was Jesus. 

Joseph’s brethren refused to receive him, so did the brethren of Jesus. 

Joseph was sold by his brethren, so was Jesus. 

Joseph was unjustly accused and condemned, so was Jesus. 

Joseph was buried in prison, so was Jesus in the Tomb of Joseph. 

Joseph was resurrected from prison and exalted to sit with Pharaoh on his throne, so Jesus was resurrected and exalted to sit on His Father’s Throne. 

Joseph on the throne became the dispenser of bread to starving Egypt, so Jesus on His Father’s Throne is the “Bread of Life” for a perishing world. 

After Joseph was exalted he got a Gentile bride, so Jesus will get a Gentile Bride—THE CHURCH. 

 

Understanding types and antitypes is a great help in understanding the incredibly complex and abundant amount of information contained in the Scriptures. Through them we gain greater understanding of spiritual truths. 

The other biblical device we would like to point out to the reader is Hebrew parallelism, a literary device used throughout the entire Bible. The Jewish Encyclopedia explains Hebrew parallelism this way: 

 

It is now generally conceded that parallelism is the fundamental law, not only of the poetical, but even of the rhetorical and therefore of higher style in general in the Old Testament. By parallelism in this connection is understood the regularly recurring juxtaposition of symmetrically constructed sentences. The symmetry is carried out in the substance as well as in the form, and lies chiefly in the relation of the expression to the thought. The same idea is expressed in its full import—that is, in its various aspects and turns—not in a continuous, uninterrupted sentence, but in several corresponding clauses or members with different words. 

According to the logical interrelation of the members there are distinguished three kinds of parallelism: 

(1)The synonymous, in which the same sentiment is repeated in different but equivalent words: (Ps. xxv. 5; comp. ib. exiv.; Num. xxiii. 7-10; Isa. lx. 1-3; etc.). “Shew me thy ways, O Lord; Teach me thy paths. “Frequently the second line not merely repeats but also reinforces or diversifies the idea: (Prov. i. 31); “They shall eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices”(I Sam. xviii. 7; comp. Isa. xiii. 7, lv. 6 et seq.; Ps. xcv. 2). “Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.” 

(2) The antithetical, in which the parallel members express the opposite sides of the same thought: (Prov. xi. 3; comp. ib. x. 1 et seq.; Isa. liv. 7 et seq.; Ps. xx. 8, xxx. 6).  “The integrity of the upright shall guide them, But the perversity of the treacherous shall destroy them.” Frequently there are one or more synonymous elements in both members, thus making the contrast more emphatic:(Prov. xxix. 27; comp. ib. x. 5, xvi. 9, xxvii. 2). “An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked” 

(2) The synthetical (called also constructive and epithetical), in which the two members contain two disparate ideas, which, however, are connected by a certain affinity between them: (Prov. i. 7; comp. ib. iii. 5, 7; Isa. l. 4; Ps. i. 3, xv. 4). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction” (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11902-parallelism-in-hebrew-poetry).  

 

Having a knowledge of Hebrew parallelism will help the reader to better understand some of our conclusions, since it is through parallelism that we often arrive at them. An understanding of Hebrew parallelism will become especially handy as we study Isaiah 28:21, which is the fundamental text regarding God’s “strange act.” 

We hope this book will be a blessing to those who read it. Our wholehearted desire is that through it, many will come to see God in a completely new light, one in which they are drawn to Him in love and not in fear, because “perfect love casts out” all “fear,” “because fear involves punishment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). 

We need to understand all the points we have mentioned above before we can understand “the wrath of God.” We must also realize that there is a connection between the “wrath of God” and Satan’s principle of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In view of all this then, what is “the wrath of God”?  What does the Bible say about it? How does the Bible define it? And what about His strange act? How do we harmonize it with a God of “perfect love”? Can God’s wrath operate outside of His love?