The Great Day Of God's Wrath # 8

 The Great Day Of God's Wrath # 8

Mark also what our Lord Jesus Christ says of idle shepherds, and blind guides, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to! For a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you shall receive the greater damnation!" (Matthew 23:13-14).

Thus you see, beloved, that the Scriptures with open mouth - speak forth the desolations and calamities which will befall false shepherds, and blind guides in that day. If they cannot stand when His wrath is kindled but a little, oh! what will they do when wrath shall come upon them to the utmost, even the fierceness of His wrath? Then will they not be able to stand.

Sixthly, such as are hypocrites, will not be able to stand in this day of God's wrath - but desire, if it were possible, to hid themselves, in the dens and caves of the earth! "The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the hypocrites! Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?" (Isaiah 33:14).

"Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hypocrite's hope shall perish. What he trusts in is fragile; he is leaning on a spider's web - but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold!" (Job 8:13-15).

Oh, you hypocrite, whoever you are, notwithstanding you have got the talking part of the religion, and make a show of godliness - yet all this while you are a hypocrite in your heart! God hates hypocrisy, and will punish them with great punishments! "He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!" (Matthew 24:51). Do you hear this, you who are hypocrites?

Seventhly, and lastly, all who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and sincerity, will not be able to stand in this day of God's wrath! Whether they are Turks or Jews, Papists or Protestants, bond or free - if they do not love the Lord Jesus Christ, they will not be able to stand! (1 Corinthians 16:22). "If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed!" Oh, beloved, all those who shall be found unbelievers, unconverted, and unregenerate in this day of God's wrath - be they kings, or great men, or rich men, or nobles, or mighty men - they shall cry to the mountains, and rocks, saying, "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!"

Thus, beloved, I have showed you briefly, in seven particulars, who they are, who will not be able to stand in the day of God's wrath.

1. The openly wicked.

2. The ignorant.

3. Those who side with antichrist against Christ.

4. The formal professor.

5. The idle shepherds and blind guides.

6. The hypocrites.

7. All who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ.

~William Dyer~

(continued with # 9)

The Great Day Of God's Wrath # 7

 The Great Day Of God's Wrath # 7

All that cursed brood of Rome, with all its hellish crew, will not be able to stand in this great day of God's wrath - but will be consumed like fuel, and devoured as fully dry stubble! "Why are you scheming against the Lord? He will destroy you with one blow; He won't need to strike twice! His enemies, tangled like thorn bushes and staggering like drunks, will be burned up like dry stubble!" (Nahum 1:9-10). So that all who have assisted antichrist against Christ, against his government, against His gospel, against His Spirit, against His worship, against His ministers, against AHis members, and against His glorious cause - I say, they will not be able to stand in this great day of God's wrath - but "cry to the rocks and the mountains to fall on them, and to hide them from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb@" (Revelation 6:16).

Fourthly, such as have only a form of godliness, but deny its power, will not be able to stand in this great day of God's wrath!" (2 Timothy 3:5). All idle and slothful professors, who have nothing of God, nor anything of Christ, nor anything of the Spirit, nor anything of the power of the Word in them - who having only a notional or formal profession; such, I say, will not be able to stand in this great day.

Romans 2:17:20. "Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth." But mark what God says to such, "Your are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. No wonder the Scriptures say - the Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you!" (Romans 2:23-24).

Oh! are there not many among us who profess God in words - but deny Him in works; who have a name to live - but are dead; who have a form of godliness - but not the power; who have and external religion - but not an internal piety! Like those spoken of by Christ, "Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in your Name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:21-23).

Fifthly, such as are idle shepherds, and blind guides, will not bre able to stand in that great day of God's wrath - but will "cry to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, and to hide them from the wrath of Him who sits on the throne, and from the face of the Lamb!"

"Prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Should not the shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals - but you let your flocks starve! You have not taken care of the weak.You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost@" (Ezekiel 34:2-4).

"Even the priests and prophets are ungodly, wicked men. I have seen their despicable acts right here in My own Temple, says the Lord. Therefore, the pathsd they take will become slippery. They will be chased through the dark, and there they will fall. For I will bring disaster upon them at the time fixed for their punishment. I, the Lord, have spoken!" (Jeremiah 23:11-12).

"The more priests there are - the more they sin against Me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin! Like people - like priests. So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds!" (Hosea 4:7-9).

~William Dyer~

(continued with # 8)

The Great Day Of God's Wrath # 6

 The Great Day Of God's Wrath # 6

3. I shall now come, in the third place, to show you - WHO they are, who will not be able to stand in this great day.

First, such as are openly wicked and profane, will not be able to stand in this great day. "They will say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'" (Luke 23:30). "There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil." (Romans 2:9).

Oh, you profane ones! You who now wallow in your sins, as the pig in the mire, and eat up sin, as they eat bread, and drink up iniquity like water; Oh! let me tell you, you will not be able to stand in the day of wrath, nor the day of judgment - but destruction will be your end, and everlasting misery your portion! Oh! that such would but consider these two places of Scripture, "Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is their shame, who mind earthly things." (Philippians 3:19). "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

These men may now live with a high hand, and boast, "We have struck a bargain to  cheat death, and have made a deal to dodge hell. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception!" Yet, "I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground!" (Isaiah 28:15-18).

Secondly, such as are ignorant, will not be able to stand in this great day of God's wrath. "When the Lord Jesus appears from heaven, He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, binging judgment on those who do not know God and on those who refuse to obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power!" (2 Thess. 1:7-9). Oh, you who are ignorant of God and His Gospel - do you hear this? You are some of those who will not be able to stand in this great day - but say to the rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb!"

Beloved, ignorance is one of those cursed sins that bars and bolts Christ out of the heart; it is that which shuts them out from having mercy and favor with the Lord. (Isaiah 27:11). "They are a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor."

Thirdly, such as have sided with antichrist against Christ, will not be able to stand in this great day. Such as have drunk of the whore's cup of fornication, shall drink of the cup of God's indignation, which is poured out without mixture! "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of His wrath! He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name!" (Revelation 14:9-11). Oh, beloved! all those who have been partakers with her in sinning - shall be partakers with her in suffering! Therefore, "come out of her my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues!" (Revelation 18:4).

~William Dyer~

(continued with # 7)

The Great Day Of God's Wrath # 5

 The Great Day Of God's Wrath # 5

"Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe! Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow - so great is their wickedness! Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision!" (Joel 3:13-14).

So in Revelation 14:15 the angels are appointed to reap down the earth. "Take the sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" Oh, let everyone who hears or reads these sayings, let them hear and fear, and tremble at them! for this will be a day of great destruction to the wicked and ungodly.

Sixthly, and lastly, this will be a GREAT day of wrath, as it is said in the words of my text. "For the great day of His wrath has come!" Who may abide the day of His coming? Who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire. Oh, beloved! this is not the day of man's wrath. Men have had their day of reigning and raging, and despising God - but that is over and gone, and now God's day has come! This is the day of His wrath -and woe to the wicked, and woe to the whore of Babylon, for the hour of her judgment has come.

Oh, beloved! God's GREAT wrath will be very terrible to the wicked!

1. God's great wrath will tear them in pieces like a lion! "I will be like a lion to Israel, like a strong young lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces! I will carry them off, and no one will be left to rescue them!" (Hosea 5:14). Consider this, all you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue you!" (Psalm 50:22).

2. God's great wrath will consume them like fire! "The Lord Almighty says - The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed - roots, branches, and all." (Malahi 4:1). "I will pour out My wrath upon you and breathe out my fiery anger against you!" (Ezekiel 21:31).

3. God's great wrath will swallow up all His enemies! "You will capture all your enemies. Your strong right hand will seize all who hate You. You will throw them in a fiery furnace when You appear. In His wrath the Lord will swallow them up, and His fire will consume them!" (Psalm 21:8-9).

Oh! the wrath of the Almighty is that which tears like a lion, consumes like a fire, and swallows up like a dragon; and therefore it is called in the Scripture "the fierceness of His great wrath!" (2 Kings 23:26). "The fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation!" (Psalm 78:49).

"The fury of His wrath!" (Revelation 16:19).

Thus, beloved, I have shown you the nature and property of this great day, spoken of in my text:

1. A day of astonishment.

2. A day of terror.

3. A day of distress.

4. A day of contempt.

5. A day of destruction.

6. A day of wrath.

~William Dyer~

(continued with # 6)