Wrath of the Lamb

Wrath of the Lamb
20 February, 2013, Ageo Home meeting
Gotthold Beck

2 Corinthians
8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich. 
[International Standard Version]

This verse we just read tells us the reason why Jesus came down to this world, sacrificed himself and became so poor; it was to make us rich. Needless to say, you need to humble yourself to become rich. You need to admit the emptiness and wretchedness of your life. What the whole Bible is trying to tell us is summarized in the next verse.

Isaiah
57:15 He lives in the height and in holiness, and also with the one who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. 

This is a very famous verse from Isaiah, chapter 57, verse 15.


To humble yourself is very much like becoming miserable beggars sitting in front of Jesus, so to speak. They have contrite hearts. These people also realize their own emptiness and helplessness by being illuminated by the light of Jesus. They understand that there is nothing good inside that may satisfy the intention of the Lord. One of the most important prayers can be found in Luke, chapter 18, ‘O God, be merciful to me, the sinner that I am!’ A prayer like this will absolutely be answered. Those who pray this way will never regret. The only thing we are expected to do is to take this mental attitude. Isn't it such a wonderful blessing?

Among the many prayers of David that were recorded as Psalms, Psalm 32 and 51 are the most important ones in that his feeling was well expressed. He wrote in Psalm 51, verse 17, ‘True sacrifice to God is a broken spirit. A broken and chastened heart, God, you will not despise.’ Why did he say this? Because he truly understood, from his own experiences, that to humble oneself is to admit that one is neither strong, clever nor rich at all, but is absolutely miserable and helpless.

Jesus became poor. Needless to say, before this whole universe was created, Jesus was already crowned with unimaginable glory. Yet, Jesus chose to be poor. Jesus became poor as a consequence of his choice to rely totally on his Father God. Jesus only talked what he heard from his Father God. He only did what his father did. This is why we cannot get a true picture of Jesus by reading the four Gospels. He is totally different from humans like us. Jesus kept praying throughout his life ‘yet not my will but yours be done’. He didn't care about himself at all. He didn't care about being neglected or insulted. He was free from all anxieties and worries because he entrusted everything to his Father God. In other words, Jesus never did anything by his own will. Instead, he totally relied on his Father God. He always submitted himself to the will of his Father God: ‘yet not my will but yours be done’. It was such an unimaginable determination and unthinkable humility, considering that, since before Jesus came down to this world, he knew everything and he could do anything. There was absolutely nothing impossible for him. But, when he came down to this Earth, he was bound by human flesh and limitations.

The Book of Revelation explains many things that will happen in the future of this world. We believe that, if we pray to Jesus, if we ask for his help, Jesus will never fail to listen to us. Still, the future depicted in this book is beyond our understanding. It begins at verse 15 of the Book of Revelation, Chapter 6: 

Revelation
6:15 Then the kings of the earth, the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and all the slaves and free people concealed themselves in caves and among the rocks in the mountains. 
6:16 They told the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. 
6:17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to endure it?" 

‘The wrath of the Lamb’ is mentioned in this verse. In other parts of the Bible, the lamb is associated with its sacrificed life or everlasting love. However, according to these verses, the love of Jesus the Lamb may not be for ever but may change. It is implied in the words ‘the wrath of the Lamb’. Jesus promised very clearly that ‘I will return to bring you back’. Needless to say, this time he is not coming back to die on the cross, but to take up all those who belong to him. In the days of Advent, when the so-called the Rapture occurs, all those who have been saved by the grace of the Lord will instantly disappear. They will be given spiritual bodies of resurrection and become one with Jesus without seeing their death. Furthermore, it is the end of the era of grace. The verses we just read predict what will happen after that: all other people finally begin to pray. We can see it in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 23, verse 30.

Luke
23:30 Then people will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!', and to the hills, 'Cover us up!' 

I read about Lenin before, the former leader of the Soviet Union. As we all know, this man denied God and advocated that those who believe in the existence of God had to be put to death. No one can tell how many people were murdered at his orders. However, the day came when he had to face his own death. Then, finally, he began to pray. To whom? He prayed towards the table and chairs. No matter how gorgeous the table is, no matter how robust the chairs are, they won't answer prayers. How pitiful! Those who refuse to pray while they are alive are so miserable. To pray is to bow your head humbly and ask for help. If you refuse to ask for help, you will end up among the most miserable ones in this world. Because, if you don't seek for his help, you have no chance to know the Saviour.

In the future, when the time comes, most people will start to pray. They will pray to mountains and rocks. These prayers are utterly meaningless. Unlike our ordinary prayer meetings, numerous people will join the prayers at this time. There is mention of seven independent groups of people [in the Book of Revelation]. Seven is the number that represents perfection. It implies that all those who refused the salvation of the Lamb have gathered here. 

‘Terror’ brings them together. Even the most powerful men will lose their strength when this time comes. Those who arrogantly refused the salvation offered by the Lord God will now try to hide underground just like moles. They are not seeking the protection from nuclear bombs coming down from above, but they are crying out for protection from the one who sits on the throne, from the ‘wrath of the Lamb’. These people are not trying to hide from nuclear bombs or humans, but they are trying to find cover from ‘the wrath of the Lamb’.

I would like to talk about three things regarding these verses. First, ‘what kind of time’ it is that they start praying? Second, ‘to whom’ they are praying? And finally, ‘what’ they are praying about? 

It will be after the time of ‘wrath and judgment’ has come that they begin praying. Actually, it will already be too late to pray. This present time in which we are living is, according to the Bible, the age of ‘grace’, the time to receive ‘salvation’. Those who repent of their sins and come to Jesus today will obtain forgiveness of their sins and receive eternal life.

So many things are written about the wrath of Father God in Scripture. However, there are only a few descriptions of ‘the wrath of the lamb’. The wrath of the Lord Jesus, who is the Lamb, leads to total destruction. The one who loved us and gave us his own life is about to show his wrath now. When we have to face the wrath of the one who sacrificed himself to save us from the wrath of the Lord God, how can we endure it? There will be no hope left for us. When the lamb shows his wrath, there will be no salvation at all.

Now, let's take a look at the opposite. It is in the Romans, chapter 8, verses 31 and 32. These are wonderful verses. I guess you have read them repeatedly. 

Romans
8:31 What, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 
8:32  The one who did not spare his own Son, but offered him as a sacrifice for all of us, surely will give us all things, along with his Son, won't he? 

If Jesus is for us, no one can be against us. However, if Jesus is against us, who can give us salvation and who can heal our pain? When the Lamb shows his wrath, all our hope will be lost.

Second, ‘to whom’ are people praying? We can find the answer in this book, which is unbelievable. They are praying to ‘mountains and rocks’. Such prayers are absolutely empty and meaningless. It is promised repeatedly in the Bible that those who call on the name of Jesus will be saved. Salvation is given only by the saviour, God, so says the Bible. Jesus is called the rock in Scripture. Even today, those who put control into the hands of Jesus will be protected for ever on this immovable rock. On the other hand, some people pray passionately to mountains and rocks, which is absolutely meaningless. It is just worthless.

These people are captured by fear and anxiety, just as the first people, Adam and Eve, were when they tried to run away from the Lord. Awareness of sins and conscience urges people to run away from the Lord God. Sins make people cowards and make them fugitives from God. Some of you who are gathered in this room today might be fleeing from the Lord and trying to find a refuge now. If so, when you stop fleeing, repent and return to Jesus – you will have true blessings. Jesus himself is the true refuge. Needless to say, Jesus is waiting for each one of us to come close to him. He wants to accept us and forgive us.

Third, ‘what’ will these people be praying about in these years to come? As we have just read, they will come to pray, ‘fall on us and hide us from his face’. These kinds of people actually would rather die than step in front of the Lord. They used to refuse to admit their sins. Furthermore, they refused to accept the salvation offered by the Lamb. And now, they are fleeing to evade ‘the wrath of Lamb’. However, no one can avoid the judgment and ‘the wrath of the Lamb’.

It is written in the epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 27:

Hebrews
9:27 Indeed, just as people are destined to die once and after that to be judged.

We all understand that someday we have to die. However, shouldn't we consider seriously the judgment we all have to face after we die? It will be so tragic if we have to face it without the representative, Jesus, who is our only true defence counsel. The judgment of God and ‘the wrath of the Lamb’ is not a fantasy or fable but rather a dreadful reality. ‘Who shall be able to stand it?’, so the people will cry out in the coming day. However, they are not crying out sincerely for help, but they are just screaming for fear. People don't seriously think of the judgment rendered to them until the day they face the trial of the Lord God. Eventually, we all have to admit that the judgment of the Lamb is righteous .

To conclude, I would like to ask three questions. First, ‘when’ will we begin to pray? Do we want to pray now at this very time, while blessings are still available to us? Or do we wait until the time of blessings has gone away and all the foundations of the earth are shaken? The most important thing for all humans is to ‘pray’ and to ‘ask for help’. There are some wonderful words in Isaiah, chapter 55, verse 6.

Isaiah
55:6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. 

To pray is to call and seek the Lord. It is to ask for his help from the bottom of your heart.

Secondly, 'to whom' do we pray? Do we pray to the true living God, to the Lord who offers us eternal salvation through Jesus? Or, will we pray to the rocks and mountains in the years to come? After all, we have to pay attention to 'to whom' you pray. This choice is unimaginably important. When people suffer and are agonized, they start to pray, saying “god, please help me”. But what kind of God is it? So-called God supported by man-made religion are totally meaningless. True God certainly has nothing to do with any man-made religions. 

Third, ‘what’ do we pray for? Should we pray for our temporal protection in this life? Or, should we pray to have an immortal soul? Should we pray for eternal life? We have no idea at all as to what eternal life is at this moment. Even Adam and Eve, who were created as the first perfect beings, did not have eternal life. They lived only as created beings. Eternal lives can never be created. Jesus said, ‘I am the life’. Those who have accepted Jesus, regardless of whether they are conscious of it, absolutely have eternal life. They are certain of where they are heading after life and, thus, they can lead positive lives.

Nothing is more important for us than to pray at this present time, ‘be merciful to me, the sinner that I am’. Praying in the latter times to rocks and mountain to fall on you and cover you will be just meaningless. It is much wiser to pray today, ‘be merciful to me, a sinner’, isn't it? Only those whose sins are covered by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus will be protected on that very day. Because David prayed according to the will of the Lord, he was filled with joy when he sang this song. I am going to read the first two verses of Psalm 32. But, I would suggest that you read this whole Psalm when you get home. 

Psalms
32:1 How blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 
32:2 How blessed is the person against whom the Lord does not charge iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 

Jesus still remains as the saviour in this present time. However, on the day of judgment, he will no longer be the ’saviour’, but he will turn into the ‘judge’. What is the foundation of our lives? Is it the salvation that Jesus accomplished for us on Calvary? Those whose foundation is in Christ are truly blessed. It is mentioned in the second Psalm, verse 12:

Psalms
2:12 Kiss the son before he becomes angry, and you die where you stand. Indeed, his wrath can flare up quickly. How blessed are those who take refuge in him. 

For all brothers and sisters who believe in Jesus, two things are true regarding the upcoming darkest day of judgment. We are requested first to pray unremittingly for all unsaved people in our lives, and then to bring them to Jesus in our unceasing labours of love. What kinds of people are already saved for sure? I guess that it is those who constantly pray for unsaved ones from the bottom of their hearts. Many people say, ‘Oh yes, I believe in him, I do believe in him. But, can there be true believers who neither care about nor pray for unsaved people? How did we come to believe in Jesus? It was solely because the Lord had mercy on us. But, make no mistake. The Lord did not save us just for us to go to heaven someday. We were saved to lead others to salvation in Jesus, other people who are agonized, who are suffering and who are lonely. 

Jesus is alive. Jesus became poor. He was neglected and he was despised, yet Jesus did not open his mouth. Silently, he walked toward his death. Why did he? Although Jesus was extremely rich, he became poor for us, so that, through Christ's poverty, we become rich. Rich people refers neither to wealthy people, nor strong people. Even I was accepted. Someone like me does not deserve the love of the Lord but still I received his love. Rich people must be those who have faith in and are grateful for this truth.

End