Do you completely miss the idea that what Satan unleashed, even he could not control? Satan is the destroyer, God is the restorer. From your point of view, I must fear God more than Satan. But what does the OT repeatedly say? "DO NOT BE AFRAID". This is Gospel. This is Good News. This is everlasting Good News.

It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth. {COL 415.3}

This is the work outlined by the prophet Isaiah in the words, "O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him." Isa_40:9-10. {COL 415.4}

Those who wait for the Bridegroom's coming are to say to the people, "Behold your God." The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them. {COL 415.5}

******* STAFF EDIT ******* A god that needs to be appeased, even a sadistic god who would torture his victim. It is not the truth.

APL,

Satan won't be in charge of his own death either. He has far passed the limit of Divine forbearance, and will meet his punishment. He has chosen his own course, and so has no one to blame but himself. Nonetheless, God will administer his punishment.

Satan himself will recognize God's justice in doing so. Why don't you?

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

I don't think you have read the opening post of this thread Green. You have certainly not provided any coherent rebuttal.


Psalms 34:21-22 Evil will kill the wicked; those who hate the righteous will be punished. 22 The LORD will save his people; those who go to him for protection will be spared.

What kills the wicked? Is God evil????

APL,

I have no need to rebut truth. Truth is truth. Evil does slay the wicked. But sin does not punish the wicked in the end, nor is it always responsible for the death of the wicked. Your problem is that you like to "universalize" facts to make them applicable to every situation if they can apply to even one. Unfortunately, this is neither sound logic nor good theology.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

APL,

You are trying to twist the words of scripture. You are trying to make the phrase "evil shall slay the wicked" into "the wicked are always and only slain by evil." This is a misrepresentation. One cannot with impunity add or subtract his or her own words from God's Word.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

The verse says, "Evil will kill the wicked". It is you that is adding words.

It is also hard to rebut EGW's saying, " God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression". What is the sentence against transgression? The second death.

APL,

I added no words. I simply quoted the KJV, from which I have memorized the entire chapter. In the KJV it says "Evil shall slay the wicked." But what it does NOT say is more telling. It does not say that this "slaying" occurs every time that the wicked die, or that it is the way the wicked are punished in their second death. It does NOT say that God never would slay anyone. And it does NOT say this is the ONLY way for anyone to die.

Now, suppose you are righteous. Will evil "slay" you too? Even the righteous die, right? We are all mortals this side of Heaven. Who "slays" you if you die of "natural causes," or even some accident?

In any case, this is all going off-topic. The Wrath of God is something the world has yet to witness, and there is but a twinge of it that was seen when Jesus cleansed the temple--not nearly enough to actually cause anyone's death, but only enough to make them realize who Jesus was and how dark their own deeds were.

May we stay close to Him, that we be not partakers with the wicked of His wrath.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Sin is ALWAYS the cause of death, but it's not the agent of death. It's interesting that the fall of Jerusalem is often presented as a shadow of the final destruction of the wicked. But what happened then? Was sin the agent that produced the death of the inhabitants of Jerusalem? It sure was the cause, but what produced the death? Weren't it the weapons of the romans?

Sin is the cause of all death, all, animals, humans, plants. you said "The Wrath of God is something the world has yet to witness". Well, then Romans 1:18 is wrong then as it says that the wrath of God IS revealed, present tense. JN Andrews, whom you chose to quote says, "We have shown that the plagues, and the wrath of God without mixture are the same" as does EGW see {EW 64.2} You claim it is God that causes all the mayhem of the plagues. However, is this true?



The destruction of Jerusalem was by the judgment of God. HOW did God destroy Jerusalem? He withdrew His protection. The last plagues occur when the restraining Spirit of God is wholly withdrawn. The world will see the result of Satan's rule, satanic wrath. The "Wrath of God" happens when God withdraws His protection. Satanic rule is unleashed. God is not the acting subject in the plagues. It is Satan, not God.



K. Straub: This statement verifies the truth that it is the removal of God’s restraining power that releases the powers of individuals and nature into Satan’s hands. They then burst with destructive fury upon the shelterless heads of the wicked.

Let the expression, “there is nothing to stay the wrath of God,” be guarded from misunderstanding. Before the principles in regard to God’s character are understood, this would be taken to mean that God was personally angered and, therefore, anxious to smite the offenders but is restrained by the intercession of His Son until Jesus finishes His work in the sanctuary.

If this interpretation is correct, then Christ and His Father are working against each other. God is longing to destroy humanity while Christ is restraining Him. However, it is impossible to believe this and at the same time hold to the great and precious truth that Christ and the Father are one and that, far from working against each other, they are fully united in the task of saving their creation—“God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

There could be nothing closer than the unity of the Father and the Son in the work of salvation. God is not seeking to destroy sinners while the Son works to delay the unleashing of the Father’s fury. They are working together to the limit of their resources to bring people back to eternal life, and only when people utterly reject those saving measures, do the Father and Son jointly leave the rebellious to their chosen fate.

Also, as we see that the wrath of God functions through the work of Satan, we are given a clear understanding of what His wrath is and what it is not, for God does not work with Satan to achieve a destructive purpose. Rather, as people reach a point of total rejection of God, in the granting of freedom to choose their path, He has no choice but to give them over to Satan, who is then released to do his own work, to God’s sorrow.



The wicked have sown the seed. The harvest is inevitable. But it is not the work of God. It is the work of people against themselves. They sowed the seed. They reap the harvest.