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)