Not that you asked, but did you know the one topic that I sense the biggest hesitation or pushback (and not from people) on addressing is the subject we discussed yesterday- the wrath of God. I don’t believe for a second that God is sitting in heaven wringing His hands and rolling His eyes whispering: “Oh...I wish you would not write about this today Tony!” On the contrary... 

 I am fully aware from Paul’s writings that it is not ‘flesh and blood that we contend with...but rather spiritual forces of darkness’. (Eph. 6:12). And like any subject matter recorded in scripture, there is always a right way and a wrong way to present it. It is my prayer that I do as Paul instructed Timothy- to remain gentle, humble, and patient in sharing God’s word with the hopes that God will grant repentance to those who hear this and they will "come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil having been taken captive by him to do his will". (2 Tim.2:24-26) 

 I have no agenda here, nor anything to prove to anyone. I merely am compelled to bring to your attention a lot of things found in our beloved bibles...that many have been overlooking or we’ve even been ignorant of. Let’s face it....we were all ignorant at one time or another and Paul explains that while at one time God may have overlooked our ignorance, He now commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). And you do know it’s possible to be very sincere in your faith...and at the same time, be ‘sincerely wrong’. (Rom. 10:1-3) 

 As always, I want to convey to you what is jumping off these pages, in a loving and gentle manner. It is my hope that you search these things out for yourself first...to see if they are true (Acts 17:11) before rejecting God’s word and saying you simply do not believe any of this. I will continue to lay out plenty of scriptural evidence to support what I am sharing here and the rest....is up to God...and you as to how you will respond. I just don’t want anyone in my ‘sphere of influence’ to be able to say they never heard this before. 

 Now...back to our topic on the ‘wrath of God’. 

 Whether you see it or not, sense it or not, believe it or not....there is a ‘flood’ being poured out on the earth today. It is not a ‘natural’ flood where the oceans are rising and rivers are overflowing their banks either. There is a spiritual flood that is sweeping across the land and the truth of the matter is...everyone who is not 'in the ark' will be swept away to destruction. That is not hyperbole either.

 And to be as straightforward as I can possibly be here, having your name on some church membership roll does not equate to ‘being in the ark’. 

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter...but those who DO the Will of the Father...” (Matt. 7:21) 

 To be “in the ark” is to ‘be...IN Christ”....as in ‘abiding in Him’; which means we are not only ‘trusting’ Him, as we always like to profess, but we are walking in obedience to Him as well. 

 What did we say salvation was yesterday? Being ‘saved from the wrath of God’? And Jesus became the author of our salvation to all who ‘obey’ Him. (Heb. 5:9) 

 This spiritual ‘flood’ that is sweeping across the world...did not just ‘show up’ last week either. It has been here. And like any season of flood stages, it could be said that there are ebbs and flows to its force. My concern here is we are witnessing an increase of its destructive force and the tragic realization that I cannot proclaim often enough or loud enough...is that people don’t even recognize it. 

 I made the case yesterday that God’s wrath can be oblivious to those who are blinded to it. 

 Can I just go ahead and tell you now what the ‘wrath of God’ actually is? Are you aware that throughout the OT, when God sent prophets to warn His people to repent, or else judgement would come, that when that day of reckoning finally arrived, God used their enemies to carry out His wrath and judgements? You see that over and over where He brought evil or wicked nations from the north, or the uttermost parts of heaven to wreak havoc and destruction. Go read the first two chapters of Zephaniah and Joel. In fact, the first chapter of Habakkuk is enlightening given Paul cited this in Acts 13:40-41 that this could happen to us. Please note vs. 12 in particular in Habakkuk 1 where God makes it known He uses the enemy to carry out His judgements and, to correct or discipline. And we know the OT was a ‘foreshadow’ of things to come in the ‘spirit realm’. 

 So, who is our enemy today? (1 Peter 5:8). Who are we warned to give no place to? (Eph. 4:27). What did Peter say regarding the writings of all these OT prophets there in Acts 3:24? And then he prefaced it by warning what would happen to all those who did not heed the things spoken to us by the ‘Prophet’ which Moses said God would raise up, meaning Jesus. (Acts 3:22-23) 

 Jesus gave us ample warning to how these days would be similar to the days of Noah and how people were clueless to what was happening until....the ‘flood took them all away’. (Matt. 24:39). You might cross reference that with Luke 17:27....it tells you what the ‘flood’ actually did. 

 And guess what Jesus explained there in Luke 21:22: “These are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” 

 So if you are still not sure what this ‘wrath’ is...let me point you to Ps. 78:49-50. Please note and underline the phrase ‘angels of destruction’ there in 49. Satan...and his angels...are the enemy that God uses to carry out His wrath and judgements. 

 Yes...I realize this is a hard pill to swallow and it probably seems almost outlandish to hear or read this. But...if it is not something you have ever heard or been taught before, then of course you are skeptical of it. I would be too. But it is right there in your leather-bound, red-lettered KJV (or whatever version you prefer to read) bibles. Now please underline 2 Peter 3:9 in your bible. 

 How did Isaiah describe the enemy would come in like? (Isa. 59:19). What did Jesus say would come and test every man’s foundation there in Matt. 7:24-27. Which house was able to withstand this ‘flood’; and what was the reason given as to what the ‘rock it was built upon’ represented? (24). What do we read in Rev.12:15 that the serpent would raise up and attempt to do? And why do you think Jesus draws a connection to the days of Noah with the day of His return...using the illustration of floods? 

 Daniel told us there in his last chapter (12) that in the end of time, the wise would see it and understand as they are purified in these times, but that the wicked would not see it or understand it. “Ho-hum ...there’s a reason for everything”...as we always tell ourselves....or the false prophets of 'peace and safety' preach. (Jer. 23:16-29; 1 Thess. 5:1-3)

 How many people do you know, or are aware of today, that are struggling with depression, anxiety issues, mental illness struggles and such? Did you know there has been an uptick in suicide rates around the world these past two years? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe there is a spiritual component to all this? As in, a flood of torment and darkness that is enveloping our world as the thief comes to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’? Who did Peter say was going about like a roaring lion seeking to devour? (1 Pet. 5:8) 

 When Joel talked about these ‘armies’ that would come ‘running on the walls and breaking in to houses through windows’...what did he liken them to? (Joel 2:9). What did Jesus warn us of there in Matt. 24:43? Anyone remember what these ‘unclean spirits’ will seek to do after they have gone out of a man? - Jesus tells us there in Matt. 12:43-45. What did Paul describe the ‘Day of the Lord’ being like in 1 Thess. 5:1-3? What does a ‘thief’ come to do again? (John 10:10) 

 The flood is here. And the majority of people don’t even ‘see it’. Yet Paul pointed to and warned us from the OT stories that all the things that happened to God’s people back then, were written down for our admonition and warning today on whom the end of the ages has come. (1 Cor. 10:4-11). Paul even mentioned there in that text how God sent ‘serpents’ (9) along with who else? (10) 

 You might look up Numbers 21:6-7, Deut. 8:15 & Jeremiah 8:17 where they speak of ‘serpents and scorpion’s carrying out God’s wrath...then look what Jesus likens those critters to there in Luke 10:17-20. 

 Feeling a tad uneasy about now? That is not a bad thing, but  there is good news. God has provided a place of safety and rest- a refuge. It’s the ‘ark’ and Jesus is...the Ark. He is not coming to take us out of the flood...He’s already here to protect us FROM the flood...the flood of darkness and destruction which God is unleashing just like He said He would. And those who dwell IN...that ‘secret place of the Most High...and ABIDE...under the shadow of the Almighty’ will bode well. (Ps. 91:1-13.} Those who are abiding in Him have been ‘born of Him’...and “we can know they no longer sin and the evil one does not touch him”. (1 John 5:18). His words, not mine. 

 Quoting the verse "greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world" is not going to protect you. You need to be IN the ark. Isaiah 43:1-3 is a beautiful passage...to those...who are In Christ. 

 If you are struggling right now in trying to wrap your head around all this, two final passages I would encourage you to look up and consider. – 1 Cor. 5:5 and 1 Tim. 1:20. What was Paul’s steps of action here in dealing with sinful or rebellious people in the church? You might make note that the hopeful end-result would be for the better of all involved. Remember, God’s ultimate purpose in bringing judgement and/or discipline....is with the hopes that we will repent from our ways and turn to Him with our whole heart. There are other times, however, when God unleashes His judgment to warn others. I’m sure you have heard of Anania and his wife, Sapphira. (Acts 5:1-11) 

 Meanwhile, ‘Believers’ seem more uptight and concerned that the Dallas Cowboys can’t seem to get their act together and/or that we have a forgetful President in the WH unable to explain why he has all these classified documents in his personal possession. I’m telling you, the enemy knows how to get our minds off things that really matter.

See you tomorrow?