Topical Bible: Eternal Death is Called: The Wrath to Come

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The concept of "The Wrath to Come" is a significant theme in Christian eschatology, representing the ultimate judgment and eternal separation from God for those who reject His salvation. This term is often associated with the final outpouring of God's righteous anger against sin and rebellion, culminating in what is understood as eternal death.

Biblical Foundation

The phrase "The Wrath to Come" is rooted in the New Testament, where it is used to describe the impending divine judgment. In Matthew 3:7 , John the Baptist warns the Pharisees and Sadducees, saying, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" This warning underscores the urgency and inevitability of God's judgment on unrepentant sinners.

Similarly, in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 , the Apostle Paul speaks of Jesus, "who rescues us from the coming wrath." Here, the "wrath" is depicted as a future event from which believers are delivered through faith in Christ. This deliverance is central to the Christian message of salvation, emphasizing the contrast between eternal life and eternal death.

The Nature of God's Wrath

God's wrath is not arbitrary or capricious but is a just response to sin and rebellion. Romans 1:18 states, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness." This passage highlights that God's wrath is directed against those who reject His truth and persist in unrighteousness.

The Book of Revelation provides vivid imagery of God's final judgment. Revelation 6:16-17 describes people calling 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 Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?" This apocalyptic vision underscores the severity and inescapability of divine judgment.

Eternal Death as Separation from God

Eternal death, often referred to as the "second death," is the ultimate consequence of God's wrath. Revelation 20:14-15 states, "Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." This passage illustrates the finality and permanence of eternal separation from God for those not found in the Book of Life.

The concept of eternal death is further emphasized in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 , which declares, "They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might." This separation is the essence of eternal death, where individuals are eternally cut off from the source of life and goodness.

The Call to Repentance and Salvation

The reality of "The Wrath to Come" serves as a sobering reminder of the need for repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In Acts 17:30-31 , Paul proclaims, "God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead."

The call to repentance is an invitation to escape the coming wrath and receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. John 3:36 encapsulates this message: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him." This verse highlights the stark choice between life and death, urging individuals to embrace the salvation offered through Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Thessalonians 1:10
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

"But Whereunto Shall I Liken this Generation?"
... We are called to mount Zion, the city of the ... dying to this world, by his death and
resurrection ... of righteousness and sanctification, what an eternal triumph and ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon x but whereunto shall.htm

Of Sin by Imputation and Propagation.
... that continually, which is commonly called original sin ... to come,"eternal death,"not
death simply, but ... an infinite hurt and torment beside, and both eternal. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture xxiv of sin by.htm

"There is Therefore Now no Condemnation to them which are in ...
... till another day, which is therefore called "the day of ... above, to be delivered from
that wrath to come ... to die a thousand deaths to escape this eternal death. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon i there is therefore.htm

Meditations of the Misery of a Man not Reconciled to God in Christ ...
... small thing, under the penalty of eternal death; yet they ... other part of the soul's
miseries, called Cursedness (Deuteronomy ... the soul in life and death, and is ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations of the misery of.htm

Of Eternal and Temporal Nature.
... and darkness of the earth, will be again called up to ... of man must first have the
light of eternal life rise ... Human reason knew nothing of the death of the matter ...
/.../law/an appeal to all that doubt/of eternal and temporal nature.htm

Appendix xix. On Eternal Punishment, According to the Rabbis and ...
... similarly receive the wicked in their death - and this ... divided, held the doctrine
of Eternal Punishments. ... lately broached, of a so-called Conditional Immortality ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xix on eternal punishment.htm

"And for Sin Condemned Sin in the Flesh. "
... that even those sacrifices for sin were called sin; and ... into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for ... by coming under the power of death, and so ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xiii and for sin.htm

The Good Man's Life and Death
... for me to live is glory." But there walks one, a humble tent-maker, called Paul;
you ... What, weep for sickness, that it hath inherited eternal health? ... O death! ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the good mans life and.htm

The Scriptures Reveal Eternal Life through Jesus Christ
... so miserably lost it, and involved our souls into an eternal death. ... whether ye shall
be partakers of eternal life ... you are wronged when that is called in question ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture iv the scriptures reveal.htm

Awake, Thou that Sleepest
... name, I warn thee "to flee from the wrath to come ... his voice to-day, while it is called
to-day ... sleepest" in spiritual death, that thou sleep not in death eternal! ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 3 awake thou that.htm