THE WRATH OF GOD: Revealing God’s Burning Passion to Purify, Deliver, and Establish His Kingdom
In THE WRATH OF GOD: What Does the Phrase Mean by the Spirit of Revelation?, Carl Timothy Wray takes readers on a journey from Genesis to Revelation to examine one of the most misunderstood phrases in the Bible. Rather than approaching God’s wrath through human emotion or religious tradition, this book begins with the inspired Greek word thymos and follows its revelation throughout Scripture.
Each chapter progressively reveals that God’s wrath is not an uncontrolled outburst of anger, but the holy, burning passion of His divine love moving with unwavering determination to accomplish His eternal purpose. From the Garden of Eden to the Exodus, from the Refiner’s Fire of Malachi to the Father’s loving chastening in Hebrews, and finally to the seven last plagues of Revelation, this book demonstrates the consistent nature of God and His unwavering commitment to deliver creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
With careful Scripture-by-Scripture teaching, this study reveals the heart of the Father behind His judgments, the purpose of His corrective dealings, and the glorious outcome of His redemptive plan. Readers will discover that every revelation of God’s wrath ultimately points to the revelation of Jesus Christ, the purification of His people, the fall of Babylon, the preparation of the Bride, and the establishment of God’s eternal Kingdom.
THE WRATH OF GOD: What Does the Phrase Mean by the Spirit of Revelation? is a comprehensive biblical study examining the meaning of God’s wrath from Genesis to Revelation. Beginning with the Greek word thymos, Carl Timothy Wray explores how God’s burning, holy passion reveals His divine love, His righteous judgments, and His eternal purpose to deliver creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. This Scripture-centered study connects the Refiner’s Fire of Malachi, the Father’s loving chastening in Hebrews 12, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and the seven last plagues of Revelation 15–16 into one unified revelation of God’s purpose to purify His people, reveal His Son, overthrow Babylon, prepare His Bride, and establish His everlasting Kingdom.
Introduction
Few expressions in all of Scripture have produced more fear, misunderstanding, and theological confusion than the phrase “the wrath of God.” For generations, many believers have associated these words with uncontrolled anger, relentless punishment, or divine rejection. As a result, countless hearts have approached this phrase with fear rather than understanding.
But what if the Holy Spirit intended something far greater?
What if the Scriptures reveal not a contradiction within the nature of God, but the unwavering consistency of His divine love, His holy passion, and His eternal purpose?
This book begins with a simple question:
What does the phrase “the wrath of God” mean by the Spirit of Revelation?
To answer that question, we begin where the Holy Spirit begins—with the inspired Greek word itself. From there, we journey through the entire counsel of God, allowing the Scriptures to progressively unveil the nature, purpose, and outcome of God’s holy passion.
As we move from Genesis to Revelation, one truth becomes increasingly clear: God reveals Himself through many symbols and administrations, yet every revelation unveils the same divine nature and eternal purpose. The God who walked in the Garden is the God who delivered Israel from Egypt. The God revealed through the Refiner’s Fire of Malachi is the same God revealed through the loving chastening of Hebrews. The God who pours out the seven bowls in Revelation is the same Father whose burning passion refuses to leave His creation in bondage.
This study is not merely concerned with defining the wrath of God.
It is equally concerned with revealing what God’s wrath accomplishes.
Throughout these pages we will ask two questions repeatedly:
What is the wrath of God?
What does the wrath of God accomplish?
The answers lead us to the very heart of God’s eternal purpose—the deliverance of the whole creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. His holy passion removes the dross so that the gold may shine. It exposes Babylon so that New Jerusalem may be revealed. It judges everything belonging to the first man so that the life of Jesus Christ may be fully manifested in the new creation.
When the Father’s heart is understood, fear gives way to faith.
The believer no longer runs from the phrase “the wrath of God.”
Instead, he begins to worship the God whose burning, holy love is unwavering in its determination to finish what He began, until Christ is revealed in His people, His Kingdom is established, and His eternal purpose is fully accomplished.
Table of Contents
Introduction
What Does the Phrase “The Wrath of God” Mean by the Spirit of Revelation?
Chapter One
The Greek Word Thymos: Revealing God’s Burning Holy Passion
Chapter Two
The Wrath of God Revealed in Seed Form: Genesis and the Beginning of God’s Redemptive Purpose
Chapter Three
The Wrath of God Revealed Through Deliverance: Egypt, the Exodus, and the Passion to Set God’s People Free
Chapter Four
The Wrath of God Revealed Through Sonship: The Father’s Loving Chastening and the Formation of His Children
Chapter Five
The Wrath of God Revealed Through the Prophets: Judgment, Restoration, and the Hope of Redemption
Chapter Six
The Refiner’s Fire: Malachi’s Revelation of God’s Purifying Passion
Chapter Seven
The Wrath of God Revealed in Jesus Christ: The Full Revelation of the Father’s Heart
Chapter Eight
The Wrath of God Revealed Through the Apostles: The Deliverance of Creation into the Glorious Liberty of the Children of God
Chapter Nine
The Wrath of God Revealed Through the Seven Last Plagues: God’s Final Purifying Work
Chapter Ten
The Consummation of God’s Burning Passion: Babylon Fallen, the Bride Prepared, and the Kingdom Established
Conclusion
The Wrath of God Fulfilled: The Triumph of Divine Love, Liberty, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ
CHAPTER ONE
THE GREEK WORD THYMOS
Revealing God’s Burning Holy Passion
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Revelation 16:1
“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
EVERY INSPIRED WORD REVEALS THE HEART OF GOD
The Revelation of Jesus Christ is not merely a book of prophetic symbols. It is the unveiling of the mind, the nature, the purpose, and the glory of God as they are revealed in His Son. Every word chosen by the Holy Spirit contributes to that unveiling. Every symbol has purpose. Every vision has meaning. Every administration reveals another facet of God’s eternal counsel.
For this reason, we must approach the Scriptures with great reverence. The Holy Spirit never wastes words. Every inspired word has been carefully chosen to reveal the heart of God. Therefore, before we build a doctrine upon an English translation, we must first ask a simple question:
What word did the Holy Spirit inspire John to write?
If we misunderstand the inspired word, we may misunderstand the revelation. If we misunderstand the revelation, we may misunderstand the very heart of God.
Therefore, we begin where the Holy Spirit begins.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 16:1
“…Go your ways, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
THE WORD THE HOLY SPIRIT CHOSE
The English word “wrath” is translated from the Greek word:
θύμος (thymos)
This is the inspired word chosen by the Holy Spirit.
Before we attempt to understand the seven last plagues, before we examine the bowls poured out in the Revelation, and before we draw conclusions about God’s judgments, we must first understand this word.
The Greek word thymos carries several closely related ideas.
It reveals a holy passion that:
- Flows from God’s divine love.
- Burning holy passion.
- Fervent zeal.
- Intense desire.
- Holy indignation.
- Powerful determination.
- Fiery resolve.
- Deep emotional intensity moving toward purposeful action.
This word describes far more than emotion.
It reveals the burning, holy passion of God flowing from His divine love and moving with unwavering determination toward the accomplishment of His eternal purpose—the deliverance of the whole creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Immediately we discover something remarkable.
God’s thymos is not uncontrolled emotion.
It is not reckless.
It is not impulsive.
It is not reactionary.
It is the holy passion of divine love moving with perfect wisdom toward a glorious destination.
The question therefore is not merely,
“What is the wrath of God?”
The greater question is,
“What is God’s holy passion accomplishing?”
That question will guide every chapter of this book.
SCRIPTURE
Romans 8:19–21
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God… Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
WHAT IS GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE?
Throughout the Scriptures we read of God’s eternal purpose, His purpose of the ages, and the counsel of His own will. These are beautiful expressions, but they must never remain unexplained. Every reader deserves to know exactly what God is working toward.
Romans answers that question.
God’s eternal purpose is the complete deliverance of His creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
This purpose reaches from Genesis to Revelation.
It begins with the promise of the Seed in the Garden.
It continues through God’s covenant with Abraham.
It unfolds through the Exodus.
It is proclaimed by the prophets.
It is revealed in Jesus Christ.
It is explained by the apostles.
And it reaches its glorious consummation in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Every administration of God serves this one magnificent purpose.
Every act of God moves history toward this one glorious end.
Every judgment.
Every correction.
Every chastening.
Every purification.
Every revelation.
All move toward the same destination.
God is not working against His creation.
He is working to deliver His creation.
He is not preserving corruption.
He is removing corruption.
He is not establishing bondage.
He is establishing liberty.
He is not revealing destruction as His final word.
He is revealing His Son.
This is the heart that stands behind the Greek word thymos.
This is the beginning of our journey through the Scriptures.
As we continue from Genesis to Revelation, we will discover that God’s burning, holy passion never changes. His symbols may change. His administrations may change. His methods may change. But His divine nature, His eternal purpose, and His unwavering determination to complete His redemptive work remain forever the same.
CHAPTER TWO
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED IN SEED FORM
Genesis and the Beginning of God’s Redemptive Purpose
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Genesis 3:8–9
“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day… And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”
THE BEGINNING OF GOD’S HOLY PASSION
Having established the meaning of the Greek word thymos in the previous chapter, we now begin tracing God’s burning, holy passion throughout the Scriptures.
We begin where the Bible begins.
We begin in Genesis.
Everything that reaches its fullness in the Revelation of Jesus Christ first appears in seed form in the opening chapters of the Bible. The revelation grows. The understanding increases. The symbols become clearer. Yet the God who reveals Himself never changes.
The same divine love.
The same holy passion.
The same eternal purpose.
The same unwavering determination to accomplish His will.
Before we ever read of bowls, plagues, trumpets, or the wrath of God in the Revelation, we first meet the God whose heart never changes.
SCRIPTURE
Genesis 3:9
“And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”
THE FIRST REVELATION OF GOD’S HEART
The first recorded act of God after man’s fall is remarkable.
He comes.
He seeks.
He calls.
Adam has sinned.
Adam has hidden.
Adam is covered with fear and shame.
Yet the first movement is not man searching for God.
It is God searching for man.
The Father’s question was never asked because He did not know Adam’s location.
The question was asked to awaken Adam to his condition.
“Where art thou?”
God was not seeking information.
He was seeking restoration.
Already the seed of redemption has been planted.
The fallen man hides from God because he misunderstands God’s heart.
The Father seeks the fallen man because He fully understands His own heart.
The first revelation of God’s holy passion is not abandonment.
It is pursuit.
SCRIPTURE
Genesis 3:15
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed…”
THE PROMISE OF THE SEED
Even while pronouncing judgment upon the serpent, God immediately reveals His redemptive purpose.
Before history has scarcely begun, the Father points beyond the fall to the coming Seed.
The promise of Christ appears before the story moves any further.
This is not accidental.
God never reveals the problem without also revealing His answer.
The first prophecy in Scripture is not centered upon Adam’s failure.
It is centered upon God’s victory.
The Seed shall come.
The serpent’s work shall be destroyed.
Redemption has already begun.
The holy passion of God is moving history toward His Son.
SCRIPTURE
Genesis 3:21
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
GOD PROVIDES WHAT MAN CANNOT
Adam attempted to cover himself.
God provided the covering.
The contrast is profound.
Man’s religion attempts to hide guilt.
God’s provision deals with guilt.
Even in Genesis, the Father is revealing that redemption will never originate with man.
It begins with God.
It flows from God’s love.
It is accomplished by God’s provision.
His holy passion does not leave fallen humanity to recover itself.
He moves toward man with mercy, promise, and provision.
Already we see the same heart that will later be fully revealed in Jesus Christ.
SCRIPTURE
Genesis 4:3–7
“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?… and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”
GOD’S PASSION SEEKS TO RESTORE
Cain stands as another early witness to God’s heart.
Before judgment falls, God warns.
Before consequences come, God speaks.
Before Cain destroys his brother, God calls him to choose another path.
The Lord does not tempt Cain toward destruction.
He urges him toward life.
Again we discover the same divine pattern.
God speaks.
God warns.
God calls.
God gives opportunity.
His holy passion always seeks restoration before judgment is completed.
SCRIPTURE
Genesis 6:5–8
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”
THE FLOOD AND THE PRESERVATION OF GOD’S PURPOSE
The account of the Flood is often remembered only for judgment.
Yet the greater revelation is the preservation of God’s purpose.
Corruption had filled the earth.
Violence had multiplied.
Yet in the midst of increasing darkness, God preserved a family through whom His redemptive purpose would continue.
Judgment and preservation stand together.
God removes corruption.
God preserves His promise.
His holy passion is not working merely to end an old order.
It is working to preserve the line through which His purpose will continue.
Even here, redemption remains the greater story.
SCRIPTURE
Genesis 11:7–9
“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language…”
BABEL AND THE LIMITS OF HUMAN PRIDE
The tower of Babel reveals another aspect of God’s holy passion.
Humanity sought unity apart from God.
They attempted to establish their own name, their own glory, and their own kingdom.
The Lord scattered them.
Not because He delighted in confusion.
But because He would not allow human pride to overthrow His redemptive purpose.
Once again, God’s actions move history toward His appointed end.
He restrains what opposes His purpose.
He preserves what serves His purpose.
His holy passion never loses sight of His ultimate goal.
THE SEED BEGINS TO GROW
From Adam…
to Cain…
to Noah…
to Babel…
one truth remains constant.
God’s burning, holy passion is always moving toward redemption.
Sometimes He seeks.
Sometimes He warns.
Sometimes He corrects.
Sometimes He restrains.
Sometimes He judges.
But every administration serves the same divine purpose.
The seed planted in Genesis will continue to grow throughout the Scriptures.
In the next chapter, that seed begins to blossom as God’s holy passion is revealed through one of the greatest acts of deliverance recorded in the Bible—the Exodus from Egypt.
There we will discover that the plagues were not merely demonstrations of divine power.
They were revelations of God’s unwavering determination to fulfill His word and to bring His people out of bondage into liberty.
The God who sought Adam in the Garden is the same God who says to Pharaoh:
“Let My people go.”
CHAPTER THREE
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED THROUGH DELIVERANCE
Egypt, the Exodus, and the Passion to Set God’s People Free
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Exodus 5:1
“And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.”
GOD’S HOLY PASSION MOVES FROM PROMISE TO DELIVERANCE
In Genesis, we saw God’s holy passion revealed in seed form.
He sought Adam.
He promised the coming Seed.
He preserved Noah.
He restrained Babel.
Throughout those early chapters one truth became unmistakably clear: God was moving history toward redemption.
As we come to the book of Exodus, that same holy passion is no longer seen merely in promise.
It is now revealed in one of the greatest acts of deliverance recorded in all of Scripture.
Israel is in bondage.
Pharaoh rules over them.
Taskmasters oppress them.
Their lives are consumed by labor, fear, and slavery.
Yet behind the scenes another reality is at work.
God’s burning, holy passion has begun to move.
The Father has not forgotten His covenant.
He has not abandoned His people.
The appointed time of deliverance has arrived.
SCRIPTURE
Exodus 3:7–8
“I have surely seen the affliction of my people… and I am come down to deliver them…”
THE HEART OF GOD IS REVEALED
These words reveal the heart of God.
“I have seen.”
“I have heard.”
“I know.”
“I am come down.”
Before God performs a miracle…
He reveals His heart.
He sees the suffering of His people.
He hears their cry.
He knows their sorrow.
Then He acts.
Deliverance begins in the compassion of God.
His holy passion is not stirred by hatred toward His people.
It is stirred by His covenant love for them.
The Exodus is not primarily the story of God’s anger.
It is the story of God’s determination to fulfill His promise.
His burning, holy passion moves Him to deliver those whom He has called.
SCRIPTURE
Exodus 5:1
“Let my people go…”
THE PURPOSE OF THE PLAGUES
These words establish the purpose of everything that follows.
God does not begin by saying,
“Let Me destroy Egypt.”
He says,
“Let My people go.”
That is the objective.
Deliverance.
Freedom.
Liberty.
Inheritance.
The plagues must always be understood in light of that purpose.
If we study the plagues without understanding God’s objective, we may conclude that judgment is the end.
But Scripture reveals that judgment serves God’s redemptive purpose.
The plagues are not an end in themselves.
They move history toward deliverance.
The Father’s holy passion is confronting everything that holds His people in bondage.
SCRIPTURE
Exodus 12:12
“Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”
GOD JUDGES WHAT BINDS HIS PEOPLE
The Lord’s judgments were directed against the powers that enslaved His people.
Egypt represents bondage.
Pharaoh represents oppressive dominion.
The gods of Egypt represent false objects of trust and worship.
God’s holy passion confronts every power that opposes His purpose.
Why?
Because He intends to bring His people into freedom.
His purpose is never bondage.
His purpose is liberty.
His purpose is never slavery.
His purpose is inheritance.
Throughout Scripture we discover this same pattern.
God confronts whatever keeps His people from walking in His purpose.
He exposes it.
He judges it.
He removes its authority.
Then He leads His people forward.
SCRIPTURE
Exodus 14:13–14
“Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD…”
THE WRATH OF GOD LEADS TO SALVATION
The Red Sea becomes one of the greatest demonstrations of God’s holy passion.
The people stand trapped.
The enemy advances.
Escape appears impossible.
Yet the Lord opens a way where no way exists.
Israel passes through.
Egypt’s dominion comes to an end.
The same act that delivers God’s people brings judgment upon the power that held them captive.
Deliverance and judgment stand together.
One reveals the purpose of the other.
The Father is not merely demonstrating power.
He is removing the dominion that prevents His people from entering liberty.
THE EXODUS REVEALS THE HEART OF GOD
The Exodus teaches us an important principle that prepares us for the rest of this book.
Whenever God judges, we must ask:
What is He delivering His people from?
Whenever He confronts an enemy, we must ask:
What liberty is He bringing His people into?
The answer is always found in His purpose.
His holy passion is moving His people out of bondage…
so they may enter inheritance.
Out of slavery…
into sonship.
Out of fear…
into worship.
Out of Egypt…
into the Promised Land.
The plagues reveal that God’s burning, holy passion refuses to leave His people under the dominion of another master.
He comes to break every chain.
He comes to overthrow every false kingdom.
He comes to fulfill every promise He has spoken.
THE SEED CONTINUES TO GROW
The Exodus enlarges what Genesis introduced.
In Genesis we saw God seeking fallen man.
In Exodus we see God delivering an enslaved people.
The revelation is growing.
The purpose is becoming clearer.
God’s burning, holy passion is not merely revealing His power.
It is revealing His unwavering determination to bring His people out of bondage and into the fullness of His covenant.
In the next chapter we will discover that this same holy passion does not end with deliverance from Egypt.
The God who brings His people out also forms them as sons, revealing through His loving chastening that deliverance is only the beginning of His eternal purpose.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED THROUGH SONSHIP
The Father’s Loving Chastening and the Formation of His Children
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 12:5–11
“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth… Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
DELIVERANCE IS THE BEGINNING, NOT THE END
The Exodus reveals one of the greatest acts of deliverance recorded in the Scriptures.
God brought His people out of Egypt.
He broke the power of Pharaoh.
He opened the Red Sea.
He fulfilled His promise.
Yet the Father’s purpose did not end when Israel crossed the sea.
Deliverance was never God’s final objective.
Deliverance was the beginning of a greater work.
God was not merely bringing His people out of Egypt.
He was preparing them to become His people.
He was transforming slaves into sons.
This is one of the greatest principles found throughout the Scriptures.
God first delivers.
Then He transforms.
He first brings His people out.
Then He brings His nature into them.
His holy passion is not satisfied with outward freedom alone.
His purpose is inward transformation.
SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 12:5–6
“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord… For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”
THE FATHER REVEALS HIS HEART
These words reveal one of the most beautiful truths in all of Scripture.
Before God speaks about chastening…
He speaks about relationship.
“My son…”
Everything that follows must be understood in the light of those two words.
The Father is not speaking to strangers.
He is speaking to His children.
He is not addressing enemies.
He is addressing sons.
The tone of God’s heart is established before His correction ever begins.
This is the very thing many believers fail to understand.
When difficulties arise…
When correction comes…
When the fire burns…
Many assume God has turned against them.
Yet the Father says exactly the opposite.
“My son…”
His correction does not deny sonship.
It confirms sonship.
LOVE IS THE MOTIVE
The Father immediately explains why He chastens.
“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”
The motive is not anger.
The motive is not rejection.
The motive is not abandonment.
The motive is love.
The Father’s holy passion flows from His divine love.
Love refuses to leave His children in bondage.
Love refuses to leave them immature.
Love refuses to leave them under the dominion of fear, carnality, and corruption.
His love moves Him to act.
His holy passion moves Him to transform.
The same God who delivered Israel from Egypt now begins preparing them for their inheritance.
SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 12:10
“…that we might be partakers of his holiness.”
THE PURPOSE OF CHASTENING
The Scriptures never leave us wondering why God corrects His children.
The Father Himself explains His purpose.
He chastens us…
“…that we might be partakers of His holiness.”
Here we discover one of the great principles of God’s Kingdom.
Every administration of God has an objective.
Every dealing has a purpose.
Every correction has an expected end.
God is not correcting His people because He delights in correction.
He is correcting them because He delights in transformation.
His holy passion is preparing a people who reflect His nature.
He is removing everything that prevents Christ from being fully revealed within them.
This is the work of a loving Father.
SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 12:11
“…afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness…”
GOD ALWAYS REVEALS THE OUTCOME
One of the most encouraging truths in this passage is that God never reveals His dealings without also revealing their outcome.
Notice the divine order.
Love.
Chastening.
Holiness.
Righteousness.
The present may seem difficult.
The discipline may not be pleasant.
The correction may expose areas we would rather leave hidden.
But the Father never asks His children to look only at the moment.
He asks them to look at the harvest.
“Afterward…”
That one word changes everything.
Afterward…
There is righteousness.
Afterward…
There is peace.
Afterward…
There is maturity.
Afterward…
There is greater conformity to Jesus Christ.
The Father’s holy passion never leaves His children wounded without healing.
He never exposes without restoring.
He never removes without replacing.
He never disciplines without producing fruit.
THE WILDERNESS WAS A SCHOOL OF SONSHIP
The wilderness was not evidence that God had abandoned Israel.
It was the place where He formed them.
There He taught them dependence.
There He revealed His faithfulness.
There He humbled them.
There He fed them.
There He instructed them.
There He prepared them for inheritance.
The wilderness was not merely a place they traveled through.
It was a classroom where the Father shaped the hearts of His people.
The same principle remains true today.
God’s holy passion is always preparing His sons for something greater.
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALS THE LOVE OF THE FATHER
When understood through the revelation of Jesus Christ, the wrath of God is never separated from the love of the Father.
His holy passion corrects because He loves.
He disciplines because He receives us as sons.
He transforms because He has prepared an inheritance for His children.
The believer who misunderstands the Father’s heart runs from His correction.
The believer who understands the Father’s heart runs toward Him, knowing that every dealing is working together to accomplish God’s glorious purpose.
The Father is not seeking to destroy His children.
He is preparing them to share His holiness.
PREPARING FOR THE PROPHETS
The lessons learned in the wilderness become the foundation for everything that follows in the Scriptures.
The prophets will repeatedly call God’s people back to the Father’s heart.
They will announce judgment.
But they will also proclaim restoration.
They will expose sin.
But they will also reveal hope.
The God revealed through the prophets is the same God revealed in the wilderness.
His burning, holy passion has never changed.
His love has never changed.
His purpose has never changed.
In the next chapter we will discover how the prophets proclaimed both the certainty of God’s judgments and the certainty of His promise to restore, redeem, and establish His everlasting Kingdom.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED THROUGH THE PROPHETS
Judgment, Restoration, and the Hope of Redemption
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 1:16–18
“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes… Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”
THE VOICE OF THE PROPHETS
As we move from the Law into the Prophets, we discover that God’s holy passion continues to reveal the same divine nature.
The administrations change.
The historical settings change.
The nations change.
The people change.
Yet the heart of God never changes.
The prophets were not sent merely to announce judgment.
Neither were they sent merely to predict future events.
They were sent to reveal the heart of God to a people who had wandered from His covenant.
Every prophet reveals the same divine pattern.
God exposes.
God calls.
God corrects.
God promises.
God restores.
His holy passion is never without purpose.
His judgments always move toward redemption.
SCRIPTURE
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
GOD ALWAYS HAS AN EXPECTED END
One of the greatest revelations found in the prophets is that God always works with an expected end.
His dealings are never random.
His judgments are never meaningless.
His correction is never without direction.
The Father sees the end from the beginning.
Even when His people experience discipline, His eyes remain fixed upon restoration.
He knows the future He has prepared.
He knows the inheritance He has promised.
He knows the glory that shall follow every season of correction.
This is the heart of God’s holy passion.
He never loses sight of His eternal purpose.
SCRIPTURE
Hosea 6:1
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.”
THE GOD WHO WOUNDS ALSO HEALS
Few passages reveal the Father’s heart more beautifully than these words of Hosea.
“He hath torn…”
“…and He will heal us.”
“He hath smitten…”
“…and He will bind us up.”
The prophets never separate God’s dealings from God’s restoration.
The same hand that exposes…
also heals.
The same voice that corrects…
also comforts.
The same God who wounds the disease…
heals the patient.
His purpose is never destruction for destruction’s sake.
His purpose is restoration.
His holy passion removes what destroys life so that life itself may flourish.
SCRIPTURE
Ezekiel 36:25–27
“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you… A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you…”
GOD’S PURPOSE IS TRANSFORMATION
The prophets continually move beyond judgment to transformation.
They do not merely announce what God will remove.
They proclaim what God will create.
A new heart.
A new spirit.
A new walk.
A new people.
This is the language of redemption.
God is not merely tearing down an old house.
He is preparing a new creation.
His holy passion removes everything that belongs to the old man so that the life of Christ may be revealed in the new.
This has been His purpose from the beginning.
SCRIPTURE
Joel 2:25
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten…”
THE PROMISE OF RESTORATION
Joel reveals another beautiful dimension of God’s heart.
The Lord promises restoration.
Not partial restoration.
Complete restoration.
What sin consumed…
God restores.
What the enemy stole…
God restores.
What seemed permanently lost…
God restores.
This is the language of hope.
The prophets continually point beyond judgment toward restoration.
They refuse to leave God’s people in despair.
They reveal that God’s holy passion is always working toward redemption.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 40:1
“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.”
JUDGMENT NEVER HAS THE LAST WORD
One remarkable truth echoes throughout every prophetic book.
Judgment is never God’s final word.
Hope is.
Comfort is.
Redemption is.
Restoration is.
The prophets speak honestly about sin.
They speak boldly about correction.
They announce the certainty of God’s dealings.
But they also proclaim the certainty of God’s mercy.
His covenant remains.
His promise stands.
His purpose cannot fail.
The Father’s holy passion always moves beyond correction toward reconciliation.
THE PROPHETS PREPARE US FOR THE REFINER’S FIRE
As the prophetic revelation unfolds, one image begins to shine brighter than all the others.
The image of the Refiner.
The Purifier.
The One who sits patiently over the fire until the work is complete.
This revelation prepares us for one of the clearest prophetic pictures of God’s holy passion found anywhere in Scripture.
Malachi reveals not merely the fire of God…
but the purpose of the fire.
Not merely the judgment…
but the purification.
Not merely the heat…
but the beauty that emerges when every impurity has been removed.
There we will discover that God’s fire never seeks to destroy the gold.
His fire seeks to remove everything that is not gold.
The Refiner’s fire is simply another revelation of God’s burning, holy passion accomplishing His eternal purpose—the deliverance of His people from everything that prevents them from bearing the image and glory of Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER SIX
THE REFINER’S FIRE
Malachi’s Revelation of God’s Purifying Passion
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Malachi 3:1–3
“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…”
THE PROPHETS REACH THEIR CLIMAX
Throughout the writings of the prophets, God’s holy passion has been progressively revealed.
Isaiah proclaimed His holiness.
Jeremiah revealed His expected end.
Hosea declared His healing.
Joel announced His restoration.
Ezekiel foretold a new heart and a new spirit.
Now, through Malachi, the Holy Spirit gathers these revelations together into one powerful image.
The Refiner.
Here we do not merely see what God does.
We discover how He does it.
The Refiner’s Fire is one of the clearest revelations in all of Scripture concerning the purpose of God’s holy passion.
Before John ever saw the seven bowls of God’s thymos, Malachi saw the Refiner sitting before the fire.
The revelation is different.
The heart is the same.
SCRIPTURE
Malachi 3:2
“For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.”
THE FIRE REVEALS THE HEART OF GOD
When many people hear the word fire, they immediately think of destruction.
Yet Malachi reveals something entirely different.
The fire is not consuming the silver.
The fire is purifying the silver.
The fire is not the enemy of the precious metal.
The fire is the enemy of everything that corrupts the precious metal.
Immediately we begin to understand the purpose of God’s holy passion.
God’s fire is never directed against His eternal purpose.
His fire is directed against everything that opposes His eternal purpose.
The fire is not against the gold.
The fire is against the dross.
This is one of the most important principles in all the Scriptures.
Whenever God sends His fire, we must ask:
What is He removing?
What is He preserving?
The answer reveals His heart.
SCRIPTURE
Malachi 3:3
“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…”
THE PATIENCE OF THE REFINER
Notice the posture of the Refiner.
He sits.
He does not hurry.
He does not leave the furnace unattended.
He watches every moment of the process.
The Refiner knows exactly how much fire is necessary.
No more.
No less.
He is never careless.
He is never reckless.
He is never impatient.
His eye never leaves the silver.
His purpose is not to consume it.
His purpose is to perfect it.
What a beautiful revelation of the Father’s heart.
God never abandons His people in the fire.
He remains with them until His work is complete.
The Refiner governs the fire because the Refiner loves the silver.
SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 12:10
“…that we might be partakers of his holiness.”
FIRE AND CHASTENING SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE
Malachi and Hebrews are revealing the same God.
Malachi speaks of the Refiner’s Fire.
Hebrews speaks of the Father’s chastening.
The symbols differ.
The purpose remains the same.
Both reveal a God whose holy passion refuses to leave His people in mixture.
The Refiner removes the dross.
The Father removes everything that prevents His children from sharing His holiness.
The fire and the chastening are not two different revelations.
They are two witnesses declaring the same truth.
God’s holy passion is always working toward transformation.
SCRIPTURE
Romans 8:21
“…the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
THE FIRE SERVES GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE
Why does the Refiner sit before the furnace?
Because He already sees what the silver will become.
Why does the Father continue His transforming work?
Because He already sees His Son revealed within His people.
His holy passion is moving toward one glorious objective.
The deliverance of creation from corruption.
The revelation of Jesus Christ.
The preparation of His Bride.
The establishment of His Kingdom.
The Refiner never forgets the finished work He intends to produce.
Every moment of the process serves that purpose.
THE REFINER PREPARES US FOR REVELATION
Malachi’s fire prepares us to understand John’s vision.
If we misunderstand the Refiner, we will misunderstand the bowls.
If we misunderstand the fire, we will misunderstand the plagues.
The same God who sits patiently before the furnace is the God who later fills the bowls with His thymos.
The symbols change.
The administration changes.
The divine nature never changes.
The Father’s burning, holy passion continues moving toward the same glorious destination.
He removes the dross.
He reveals the gold.
He removes corruption.
He establishes liberty.
He removes mixture.
He reveals Christ.
The Refiner’s Fire is not the opposite of God’s love.
It is one of the purest revelations of God’s love found anywhere in the Scriptures.
PREPARING FOR THE FULL REVELATION
The prophets revealed the Refiner.
But the Gospels reveal the Refiner Himself.
In Jesus Christ we no longer see the fire merely as a prophetic symbol.
We behold the One in whom the fullness of the Father’s heart dwells bodily.
If we desire to know what God’s holy passion truly looks like, we must now fix our eyes upon Jesus Christ.
For He is the full revelation of the Father, the perfect expression of divine love, and the clearest unveiling of God’s burning, holy passion to purify, deliver, and establish His everlasting Kingdom.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED IN JESUS CHRIST
The Full Revelation of the Father’s Heart
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
John 14:9
“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father…”
THE FULLNESS OF THE REVELATION
Throughout this book we have followed the progressive revelation of God’s holy passion.
In Genesis we saw it in seed form.
In the Exodus we saw it through deliverance.
In the wilderness we saw it through the Father’s chastening.
Through the prophets we saw it calling God’s people to restoration.
In Malachi we saw it as the Refiner’s Fire.
Now the revelation reaches its fullness.
We no longer look merely at prophetic symbols.
We behold the Person to whom every symbol pointed.
Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is not merely another revelation of God.
He is the fullness of the revelation.
Everything God desired to reveal concerning His nature, His heart, His purpose, and His eternal counsel is perfectly revealed in His Son.
If we misunderstand Jesus, we will misunderstand the Father.
If we understand Jesus, we begin to understand every administration of God from Genesis to Revelation.
SCRIPTURE
John 1:18
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son… he hath declared him.”
JESUS DECLARES THE FATHER
The purpose of Christ’s ministry was not simply to perform miracles.
He came to declare the Father.
Every word He spoke…
revealed the Father.
Every miracle He performed…
revealed the Father.
Every act of mercy…
revealed the Father.
Every act of correction…
revealed the Father.
Everything Jesus did unveiled the divine nature that had been progressively revealed throughout the Scriptures.
The God who sought Adam…
The God who delivered Israel…
The God who refined His people…
Now stands before humanity clothed in flesh.
The revelation is complete.
SCRIPTURE
John 3:17
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
THE PURPOSE OF HIS COMING
Jesus plainly declared the Father’s purpose.
He did not come to condemn.
He came to save.
He came to seek.
He came to heal.
He came to restore.
He came to reveal life.
This does not mean that Jesus ignored sin.
Neither did He overlook corruption.
He exposed it continually.
But He exposed it in order to deliver people from it.
His holy passion never sought to preserve bondage.
His holy passion sought to destroy bondage.
Wherever Jesus encountered blindness…
He brought sight.
Wherever He encountered sickness…
He brought healing.
Wherever He encountered bondage…
He brought liberty.
Wherever He encountered death…
He brought life.
The revelation is unmistakable.
God’s holy passion is always working toward redemption.
SCRIPTURE
John 2:13–17
“Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”
HOLY PASSION AND HOLY PURITY
One of the clearest demonstrations of God’s holy passion is found in the cleansing of the temple.
Many read this passage and see only anger.
But the greater revelation is purpose.
Jesus was not acting from uncontrolled emotion.
He was revealing the Father’s zeal for a holy dwelling place.
His concern was never merely the tables.
His concern was the temple.
His purpose was never destruction.
His purpose was purification.
Everything that defiled the Father’s house had to be removed.
This is the same revelation we saw in Malachi.
The Refiner removes the dross.
Jesus cleanses the temple.
The symbols differ.
The purpose remains the same.
God’s holy passion prepares a dwelling place worthy of His presence.
SCRIPTURE
Luke 19:10
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
THE HEART THAT SEEKS
These words bring us back to Genesis.
In the Garden…
God sought Adam.
In the Gospels…
Jesus seeks the lost.
The same heart.
The same purpose.
The same divine love.
The Father’s holy passion has never changed.
He continually moves toward those who cannot save themselves.
He calls.
He invites.
He restores.
He delivers.
Everything Christ does reveals the eternal purpose that has been unfolding since the beginning.
SCRIPTURE
John 12:32
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
THE CROSS REVEALS THE DEPTH OF GOD’S PASSION
The Cross is the greatest revelation of God’s holy passion.
There we see divine justice and divine love meeting together.
There we see sin exposed.
There we see mercy triumph.
There we see the Father’s determination to redeem His creation at immeasurable cost.
The Cross reveals that God’s holy passion is not merely spoken.
It is demonstrated.
Love bears.
Love suffers.
Love gives.
Love overcomes.
The Cross forever settles the question of God’s heart.
The God revealed in Jesus Christ is not working against humanity.
He is working to reconcile humanity unto Himself.
SCRIPTURE
Colossians 1:19–20
“For it pleased the Father… having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself…”
JESUS IS THE INTERPRETIVE KEY
Every symbol we have studied must ultimately be interpreted through Jesus Christ.
The Garden.
The Exodus.
The wilderness.
The prophets.
The Refiner’s Fire.
Everything finds its fulfillment in Him.
He is the image of the invisible God.
He is the exact revelation of the Father’s heart.
Therefore, whenever we encounter the judgments of God, we must never separate them from the revelation of Jesus Christ.
For the same Christ who healed the brokenhearted…
also cleansed the temple.
The same Christ who forgave sinners…
also exposed hypocrisy.
The same Christ who welcomed the weary…
also confronted everything that kept people from the life of God.
His love never tolerated corruption.
His holiness never diminished His compassion.
His holy passion always worked toward one glorious objective—
the full revelation of the Father and the complete redemption of His creation.
PREPARING FOR THE APOSTLES
The earthly ministry of Jesus reveals the Father’s heart.
The apostles explain the meaning of that revelation.
Through Paul, Peter, John, and the other apostolic writers, the Holy Spirit unfolds the mystery that had been hidden throughout the ages.
There we shall discover that God’s eternal purpose reaches far beyond individual salvation.
It embraces the deliverance of the whole creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
The Christ revealed in the Gospels is the Christ explained in the Epistles, and together they prepare us to understand the consummation of God’s holy passion in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED THROUGH THE APOSTLES
The Deliverance of Creation into the Glorious Liberty of the Children of God
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Romans 8:19–21
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God… Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
THE APOSTLES UNFOLD THE MYSTERY
The earthly ministry of Jesus revealed the Father’s heart.
The apostles explain the meaning of that revelation.
What the prophets saw in promise…
The apostles proclaimed in fulfillment.
What Jesus demonstrated through His life…
The apostles unfolded through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
They did not present another gospel.
They revealed the fullness of the gospel that had been hidden in the purpose of God from before the foundation of the world.
The apostolic writings continually reveal one magnificent truth.
God’s holy passion is moving all creation toward the fulfillment of His eternal purpose.
SCRIPTURE
Romans 8:19–21
“The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
THE GOAL OF GOD’S HOLY PASSION
Here the Apostle Paul plainly reveals what the prophets had long anticipated.
The goal of God’s eternal purpose is not merely the forgiveness of sins.
Neither is it merely the salvation of individuals.
Paul lifts our vision far beyond these glorious truths.
He reveals the deliverance of the whole creation.
Creation itself groans.
Creation itself waits.
Creation itself shall be delivered.
This is the destination toward which God’s holy passion has been moving since Genesis.
The Garden pointed toward it.
The Exodus illustrated it.
The prophets proclaimed it.
Jesus revealed it.
Now Paul explains it.
The Father’s holy passion is accomplishing the complete deliverance of creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
This is the eternal purpose of God.
SCRIPTURE
Ephesians 1:9–10
“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will… That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ…”
THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL
The apostles continually speak of mysteries once hidden but now revealed.
These mysteries are not hidden because God desired to keep them secret forever.
They were hidden until the appointed time of their revelation.
Paul tells us that God has now made known the mystery of His will.
What is that mystery?
That all things are brought together in Christ.
Notice again the direction.
Everything moves toward Christ.
Everything serves Christ.
Everything finds its fulfillment in Christ.
God’s holy passion has never moved in another direction.
From Genesis until now, every administration has been preparing for this glorious gathering together of all things in His Son.
SCRIPTURE
2 Corinthians 5:17–19
“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature… God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself…”
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
The apostles describe their ministry as the ministry of reconciliation.
Reconciliation reveals another beautiful expression of God’s holy passion.
God is not working to separate Himself from His creation.
He is working to reconcile His creation unto Himself.
He is removing every barrier.
He is overcoming every division.
He is restoring what sin has fractured.
He is bringing peace where there has been hostility.
This is the heart of the gospel.
The Father’s holy passion is always moving toward reconciliation.
The Cross opened the way.
The Holy Spirit applies that work.
The Kingdom reveals its fruit.
Everything moves toward God’s eternal purpose.
SCRIPTURE
Philippians 3:20–21
“…Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body…”
THE FULLNESS OF REDEMPTION
The apostles never stop with forgiveness.
Neither do they stop with justification.
They continually point toward fullness.
Transformation.
Conformity.
Resurrection life.
The redemption of the body.
The revelation of Jesus Christ in His people.
God’s holy passion is not satisfied with beginning the work.
He is determined to complete it.
Every promise moves toward fullness.
Every covenant moves toward fulfillment.
Every revelation moves toward manifestation.
The Father’s purpose is complete redemption.
SCRIPTURE
Colossians 1:27
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
THE REVELATION OF CHRIST WITHIN
Perhaps no apostolic declaration summarizes God’s holy passion more beautifully than these words.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
This has always been God’s objective.
Not merely that His people know about Christ.
But that Christ be revealed within them.
Everything God has done throughout history has been moving toward this glorious reality.
The Garden anticipated it.
The Tabernacle foreshadowed it.
The Temple symbolized it.
Jesus revealed it.
The Holy Spirit now accomplishes it.
God’s holy passion is forming a people in whom His Son is fully revealed.
SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 15:24–28
“…that God may be all in all.”
THE APOSTLES REVEAL THE END
The apostles never lose sight of the destination.
They continually remind us where God’s holy passion is leading.
Christ reigns.
Every enemy is subdued.
Death is destroyed.
The Kingdom is established.
God becomes all in all.
This is the consummation toward which every previous administration has been moving.
Nothing has been random.
Nothing has been wasted.
Every act of God has served His eternal purpose.
The Father’s holy passion has never changed.
His love has never changed.
His purpose has never changed.
His determination has never changed.
PREPARING FOR THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES
The apostles have now given us the lens through which we must read the final visions of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
We now understand God’s eternal purpose.
We understand His heart.
We understand His destination.
Therefore, as we approach the seven last plagues, we do not approach them merely as scenes of judgment.
We approach them as the final administration of God’s burning, holy passion moving history toward the completion of His redemptive purpose.
The bowls of God’s thymos are not separated from the gospel.
They are part of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
They reveal the same Father…
the same love…
the same holy passion…
the same unwavering determination…
to purify, deliver, and establish His everlasting Kingdom.
The journey that began in Genesis now stands at the threshold of its glorious consummation.
CHAPTER NINE
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED THROUGH THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES
God’s Final Purifying Work
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Revelation 15:1
“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”
THE REVELATION REACHES ITS CLIMAX
From Genesis to the Apostles, we have traced one unchanging revelation.
God’s holy passion has always moved toward one glorious objective.
The deliverance of His creation from the bondage of corruption.
The revelation of Jesus Christ.
The preparation of His people.
The establishment of His Kingdom.
Now, as we arrive at Revelation chapters fifteen and sixteen, every previous revelation comes together.
The Garden.
The Exodus.
The wilderness.
The prophets.
The Refiner’s Fire.
The earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.
The revelation of the apostles.
Everything has been preparing us for this moment.
If we have understood the Father’s heart throughout the previous chapters, we are now prepared to understand the seven last plagues through the same revelation.
The God revealed in Revelation is the same God who sought Adam in the Garden.
His holy passion has never changed.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 15:1
“…for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”
THE COMPLETION OF GOD’S HOLY PASSION
The Scriptures declare that in these seven last plagues “is filled up the wrath of God.”
The Greek word remains the same.
Thymos.
The burning, holy passion of God.
The revelation has not changed.
Only the administration has reached its completion.
This does not mean that God ceases to love.
Neither does it mean that His nature changes.
Rather, it reveals that this particular administration of His holy passion reaches its appointed fulfillment.
The work entrusted to these seven angels is completed.
The purpose for which these bowls are poured out is accomplished.
The Father’s holy passion moves steadily toward the fulfillment of His eternal purpose.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 15:5–8
“And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened…”
THE TEMPLE IS OPENED
One of the most remarkable features of John’s vision is the opening of the heavenly temple.
Everything proceeds from the presence of God.
The seven angels come out of the temple.
The bowls come from the temple.
The commission comes from the temple.
Nothing originates outside the Father’s presence.
This is a revelation of divine administration.
The holy passion revealed through the bowls is not separated from God’s holiness.
It flows from His throne.
It proceeds from His presence.
It reveals His nature.
The judgments of Revelation cannot be separated from the character of the God who sends them.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 15:6
“And the seven angels came out of the temple…”
THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY OF THE SEVEN ANGELS
John does not describe the seven angels as warriors clothed for battle.
He describes them in priestly garments.
This is a remarkable revelation.
Priests minister before God.
Priests represent God’s holiness.
Priests serve according to divine order.
The ministry of these angels reveals that the administration of the seven last plagues is not chaotic.
It is priestly.
It is holy.
It is governed by divine wisdom.
The Father’s holy passion is never reckless.
It is always administered according to His perfect purpose.
Even here the imagery reminds us that God is working toward purification, not confusion.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 16:1
“Go your ways, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
THE PURPOSE OF THE BOWLS
Throughout this book we have asked the same question.
What is God accomplishing?
That question must now be asked once again.
The bowls reveal God’s holy passion confronting everything that opposes His eternal purpose.
They expose.
They separate.
They overthrow.
They remove.
Not because God delights in devastation.
But because He delights in establishing His Kingdom.
The Father’s holy passion refuses to leave Babylon standing.
It refuses to leave corruption reigning.
It refuses to leave mixture governing His people.
Everything contrary to Christ must give way to the Kingdom of God.
SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 12:10–11
“…that we might be partakers of his holiness… afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness…”
THE FATHER’S HEART HAS NEVER CHANGED
As we read the seven last plagues, we must never forget the revelation of Hebrews.
The Father who chastens His sons…
is the same Father revealed in Revelation.
The Refiner who removes the dross…
is the same Refiner revealed in Revelation.
The Shepherd who sought Adam…
is the same Shepherd revealed in Revelation.
The symbols have changed.
The administration has reached its climax.
The divine nature has never changed.
God’s holy passion still flows from His divine love.
His purpose is still the revelation of His Son.
His goal is still the deliverance of creation from corruption.
His outcome is still righteousness, holiness, and the establishment of His Kingdom.
The Father’s heart remains unchanged from Genesis to Revelation.
THE FINAL PREPARATION
The seven last plagues are not the conclusion of God’s story.
They are the final preparation for what follows.
Babylon falls.
The Bride is made ready.
The marriage of the Lamb is announced.
New Jerusalem descends.
The Kingdom is revealed in its fullness.
The bowls therefore prepare the way for everything that God has purposed from the beginning.
His holy passion removes every obstacle standing in the path of His eternal purpose.
PREPARING FOR THE CONSUMMATION
The seven last plagues complete one administration of God’s holy passion.
They prepare the way for the final revelation of God’s victorious Kingdom.
In the next chapter we shall behold the consummation of everything God has been accomplishing from Genesis until now.
Babylon will fall.
The Bride will appear.
The Kingdom will be established.
The New Jerusalem will descend.
The Father’s burning, holy passion will have accomplished exactly what He purposed before the foundation of the world—the full revelation of Jesus Christ and the glorious liberty of His redeemed creation.
CHAPTER TEN
THE CONSUMMATION OF GOD’S BURNING PASSION
Babylon Fallen, the Bride Prepared, and the Kingdom Established
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Revelation 21:1–5
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth… And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men… And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”
THE JOURNEY REACHES ITS GLORIOUS END
From the opening pages of Genesis until the closing chapters of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we have followed one continuous revelation.
The same God.
The same divine nature.
The same holy passion.
The same eternal purpose.
In Genesis, we saw His holy passion revealed in seed form.
In the Exodus, we saw His holy passion delivering His people from bondage.
In the wilderness, we saw His holy passion forming sons.
Through the prophets, we saw His holy passion calling His people to restoration.
In Malachi, we saw His holy passion as the Refiner’s Fire.
In Jesus Christ, we saw the full revelation of the Father’s heart.
Through the apostles, we saw the unfolding of God’s eternal purpose.
In the seven last plagues, we saw God’s holy passion completing its final work of purification.
Now we arrive at the glorious consummation.
The purpose toward which every previous administration has been moving.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 18:2
“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen…”
BABYLON MUST FALL
Throughout this book we have repeatedly asked one question.
What is God accomplishing?
Now the answer becomes unmistakably clear.
Babylon falls.
Why?
Because everything built upon confusion, mixture, corruption, and human self-rule must give way to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Babylon is not God’s final word.
New Jerusalem is.
Confusion is not God’s purpose.
Revelation is.
Bondage is not God’s purpose.
Liberty is.
Mixture is not God’s purpose.
Purity is.
The Father’s holy passion has been moving toward this moment from the very beginning.
Everything opposed to His Kingdom is removed so that everything belonging to His Kingdom may be fully revealed.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 19:7
“Let us be glad and rejoice… for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”
THE BRIDE IS MADE READY
The fall of Babylon is immediately followed by the revelation of the Bride.
This divine order is not accidental.
The Father removes what corrupts.
Then He reveals what He has been preparing.
Throughout the Scriptures God’s holy passion has always worked in this manner.
He removed bondage from Israel before bringing them into inheritance.
He removed the dross before revealing the silver.
He removed the old man so that the new creation might be revealed.
Now the Bride stands prepared.
Not because of human achievement.
But because the Father’s purpose has accomplished exactly what He intended.
The holy passion that sought Adam…
has now prepared a Bride for His Son.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 21:2–3
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
THE HOLY CITY DESCENDS
The Revelation does not conclude with destruction.
It concludes with communion.
God dwells with man.
His tabernacle is with His people.
The holy city descends.
Everything throughout Scripture has pointed toward this glorious reality.
The Garden anticipated it.
The Tabernacle foreshadowed it.
The Temple testified of it.
Jesus revealed it.
The Spirit prepares for it.
Now the New Jerusalem manifests it.
The Father’s eternal purpose has always been to dwell among His people.
His holy passion has never pursued another objective.
SCRIPTURE
Revelation 21:5
“Behold, I make all things new.”
THE PURPOSE IS FULFILLED
These words summarize the entire revelation.
“I make all things new.”
This is the destination toward which God’s holy passion has been moving since the beginning.
The old gives way to the new.
Death gives way to life.
Corruption gives way to incorruption.
Bondage gives way to liberty.
Fear gives way to perfect love.
The first man gives way to the last Adam.
Everything finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
The Father’s work is complete.
Not because His love has ceased.
But because His purpose has been accomplished.
SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 15:28
“…that God may be all in all.”
GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE STANDS COMPLETE
The Apostle Paul gives us the final picture.
God all in all.
This has been the destination from the beginning.
Every covenant.
Every prophet.
Every promise.
Every act of deliverance.
Every act of chastening.
Every act of purification.
Every revelation of God’s holy passion has moved toward this one glorious end.
The complete triumph of Jesus Christ.
The complete revelation of God’s Kingdom.
The complete fulfillment of the Father’s eternal purpose.
The complete deliverance of creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Nothing has failed.
Nothing has been forgotten.
Nothing has escaped His sovereign purpose.
The burning, holy passion of God has accomplished exactly what divine love purposed before the foundation of the world.
THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED
We began this book with one question.
What does the phrase “The Wrath of God” mean by the Spirit of Revelation?
After tracing this revelation from Genesis to Revelation, the answer stands before us.
The wrath of God is not the contradiction of His love.
It is the unwavering, burning, holy passion of His divine love accomplishing His eternal purpose.
It exposes whatever opposes Christ.
It removes whatever corrupts creation.
It purifies what belongs to God.
It delivers His people from bondage.
It prepares the Bride.
It establishes the Kingdom.
It reveals Jesus Christ.
From the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem…
from the promise of the Seed to God dwelling with mankind…
one divine purpose has remained unchanged.
The Father’s holy passion has never ceased moving toward the glorious liberty of His redeemed creation.
His symbols changed.
His administrations changed.
His covenant dealings unfolded progressively.
But His heart never changed.
His love never changed.
His purpose never changed.
His Son never changed.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ is therefore the final unveiling of the same holy passion first revealed in Genesis—a passion flowing from the divine love of God and moving with unwavering determination until every enemy is subdued, every promise fulfilled, every purpose accomplished, and God is all in all.
To Him be glory throughout all ages.
Amen.
CONCLUSION
THE WRATH OF GOD FULFILLED
The Triumph of Divine Love, Liberty, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ
FOUNDATION SCRIPTURE
Revelation 21:5
“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”
THE JOURNEY IS COMPLETE
We began this book with a single question.
What does the phrase “the wrath of God” mean by the Spirit of Revelation?
To answer that question, we refused to build our understanding upon fear, tradition, or human opinion. Instead, we allowed the Scriptures to lead us from Genesis to Revelation, tracing the revelation of God’s holy passion through every major administration of His redemptive purpose.
Along the journey we discovered that God’s nature never changes.
His symbols change.
His administrations change.
His covenant dealings unfold progressively.
But His divine love never changes.
His eternal purpose never changes.
His burning, holy passion never changes.
The God who sought Adam in the Garden is the same God who fills the bowls of thymos in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
SCRIPTURE
Romans 8:21
“…the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
THE ETERNAL PURPOSE HAS NEVER CHANGED
Throughout every chapter of this study we asked the same question.
What is God accomplishing?
The answer has remained beautifully consistent.
He is delivering creation from the bondage of corruption.
He is revealing His Son.
He is removing everything contrary to His Kingdom.
He is preparing His Bride.
He is establishing His everlasting Kingdom.
He is bringing all things into their appointed place in Jesus Christ.
This has always been His eternal purpose.
The wrath of God cannot be understood apart from this purpose.
Neither can His judgments.
Neither can His fire.
Neither can His chastening.
Neither can the seven last plagues.
Every administration of God serves the same glorious objective.
SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 12:6
“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth…”
THE FATHER’S HEART HAS NEVER CHANGED
Perhaps the greatest lesson we have learned is that God’s dealings must always be interpreted through His heart.
The Father revealed His own motive.
Love.
His own purpose.
Holiness.
His own outcome.
The peaceable fruit of righteousness.
The believer who misunderstands the Father’s heart runs from His dealings.
The believer who understands the Father’s heart runs toward Him.
He knows that the Father’s holy passion is not working against him.
It is working for him.
The Refiner’s Fire is not seeking to destroy the silver.
It is removing the dross.
The Father’s chastening is not rejecting His children.
It is preparing them for their inheritance.
The bowls of God’s thymos are not the abandonment of His eternal purpose.
They are the completion of one administration of His unwavering determination to accomplish that purpose.
SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 15:28
“…that God may be all in all.”
THE TRIUMPH OF GOD’S HOLY PASSION
The Revelation of Jesus Christ does not end with wrath.
It ends with victory.
It does not end with judgment.
It ends with restoration.
It does not end with Babylon.
It ends with New Jerusalem.
It does not end with death.
It ends with life.
It does not end with corruption.
It ends with liberty.
It does not end with fear.
It ends with the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ.
This is the triumph of God’s burning, holy passion.
His purpose stands complete.
His promises stand fulfilled.
His Son stands revealed.
His Kingdom stands established.
Everything God purposed before the foundation of the world reaches its glorious fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
As this study comes to its close, may we never forget that the Book of Revelation is, above all else, the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Every vision points to Him.
Every symbol unveils Him.
Every judgment prepares the way for Him.
Every act of God reveals Him.
He is the beginning and the ending.
He is the First and the Last.
He is the Alpha and the Omega.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures bear witness to one glorious reality.
The Father is revealing His Son.
His holy passion has never sought anything less.
A FINAL EXHORTATION
Therefore, let us never again fear the phrase “the wrath of God.”
Instead, let us seek to understand it through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Whenever we read of God’s judgments, let us ask,
What is the Father accomplishing?
Whenever we read of His fire, let us ask,
What is He purifying?
Whenever we read of His correction, let us ask,
What glorious liberty is He preparing?
Whenever we read of His holy passion, let us remember His eternal purpose.
For His burning, holy passion always flows from His divine love.
It always moves according to His perfect wisdom.
It always accomplishes His eternal purpose.
And it always glorifies His beloved Son.
TO HIM BE THE GLORY
May the Holy Spirit continue to unveil the Father’s heart to every reader of these pages.
May fear give way to faith.
May confusion give way to revelation.
May bondage give way to liberty.
May mixture give way to purity.
May the revelation of Jesus Christ continue to increase until His glory fills the earth, His Kingdom is fully revealed, and God is all in all.
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Amen.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES BY CHAPTER
Introduction
- Revelation 1:1
- Revelation 16:1
- Romans 8:19–21
- Ephesians 1:9–10
Chapter One
The Greek Word Thymos: Revealing God’s Burning Holy Passion
- Revelation 16:1
- Romans 8:19–21
- Ephesians 1:9–11
- Hebrews 12:5–11
- 2 Peter 3:9
- John 14:9
- Colossians 1:19–20
Chapter Two
The Wrath of God Revealed in Seed Form
- Genesis 3:8–9
- Genesis 3:15
- Genesis 3:21
- Genesis 4:3–7
- Genesis 6:5–8
- Genesis 8:20–22
- Genesis 9:8–17
- Genesis 11:1–9
- Romans 8:19–21
Chapter Three
The Wrath of God Revealed Through Deliverance
- Exodus 3:7–8
- Exodus 5:1
- Exodus 6:6–8
- Exodus 7–12
- Exodus 12:12–13
- Exodus 14:13–31
- Exodus 15:1–18
- Psalm 105
- Hebrews 11:23–29
Chapter Four
The Wrath of God Revealed Through Sonship
- Hebrews 12:5–11
- Deuteronomy 8:2–5
- Numbers 14
- Psalm 103:8–14
- Proverbs 3:11–12
- Romans 8:14–17
- James 1:2–4
Chapter Five
The Wrath of God Revealed Through the Prophets
- Isaiah 1:16–20
- Isaiah 40:1–5
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Ezekiel 36:25–28
- Hosea 6:1–3
- Joel 2:25–32
- Amos 9:11–15
- Zephaniah 3:14–20
Chapter Six
The Refiner’s Fire
- Malachi 3:1–4
- Malachi 4:1–2
- Zechariah 13:9
- Isaiah 48:10
- Psalm 66:10–12
- Hebrews 12:10–11
- Romans 8:21
Chapter Seven
The Wrath of God Revealed in Jesus Christ
- John 1:14–18
- John 2:13–17
- John 3:16–17
- John 5:19–20
- John 8:1–11
- John 14:9
- Luke 19:10
- John 12:32
- Colossians 1:19–20
- Hebrews 1:1–3
Chapter Eight
The Wrath of God Revealed Through the Apostles
- Romans 8:18–23
- Romans 11:32–36
- 2 Corinthians 5:17–21
- Galatians 4:1–7
- Ephesians 1:9–10
- Philippians 3:20–21
- Colossians 1:19–28
- 1 Corinthians 15:20–28
- Hebrews 2:8–11
Chapter Nine
The Wrath of God Revealed Through the Seven Last Plagues
- Revelation 15:1–8
- Revelation 16:1–21
- Hebrews 12:5–11
- Malachi 3:1–4
- Romans 8:19–21
- Revelation 17
- Revelation 18
- Revelation 19:1–9
Chapter Ten
The Consummation of God’s Burning Passion
- Revelation 18:1–24
- Revelation 19:1–21
- Revelation 20:11–15
- Revelation 21:1–7
- Revelation 22:1–5
- 1 Corinthians 15:24–28
- Ephesians 1:10
- Philippians 2:9–11
Conclusion
- Romans 8:19–21
- Hebrews 12:5–11
- Revelation 21:5
- Revelation 22:17
- 1 Corinthians 15:28
- Colossians 1:19–20
- Ephesians 1:9–10
