The Wrath of Man

9/21/2006

The Psalmist writes, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee” (Psalm 76:10). According to this verse, the wrath of the wicked will one day be turned into praise of Almighty God…

My question about this verse is, where does the “wrath of man” come from? Right now a fierce, intense wrath is blanketing the whole earth, something that man isn’t capable of in himself. And this wrath is manifesting itself in multiple ways. Think of it:

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?” (Acts 4:25)

As I consider these present forms of men’s wrath, I realize they aren’t human in nature. There can be no question about it: it is all totally satanic. The Bible gives us these verses to prove it:

The apostle John, speaking of the latter days, writes, 

“The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Rev. 12:12).

Jesus said to those who raged against him, 

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” (John 8:44).

In this one verse, Christ identifies the source of such rage: It isn’t merely human but comes directly from satan himself.

According to these passages, what we’re facing right now is no less than a hell-directed, demonic rage. It is not just political rage, not mere personal rage…

The Psalmist addresses this phenomenon when he asks in bewilderment: 

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed.” (Psalm 2:1-2).

It is all a demonic fury directed against Jehovah God and his Son, Jesus Christ. And the various forms this wrath is taking are becoming more and more potent. Right now, we see Christ’s words played out before us on the world stage: the children of satan are clearly doing their father’s bidding…

The truth is, all who stand for Christ can expect to encounter such rage. Their obedience always stirs up the rage of those who take directions from satan…

“Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.” (Psalm 74:22-23).

…Finally, there is ever-increasing satan wrath against every devoted follower of Christ…

No amount of compromise, love, or tolerance will ever satisfy this demonic anger and fury. In fact, it’s only going to get worse, much worse…

We are not to fret over the battles that satan seems to be winning. The battle we’re in is an eternal one. And the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s church. Our Father has declared it: “Jesus already reigns as King!”

(D. Wilkerson)