If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying, “Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’”—which you have not known— then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock—with the edge of the sword. And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again. So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers, because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 13:12-18)

The Wrath Of God Is Utter Destruction

There is no quarter with sin and wickedness. God is a jealous God. His name is Jealous. Many examples are given in the Bible about the wrath of God. In the days of Noah, the Lord killed every human being on the face of the planet except for eight souls. This is the highest count of people killed in one event in the history of the world. On Passover night, when the Hebrews huddled in their homes, the destroyer of the Lord swept through Egypt and killed every Egyptian firstborn child and firstborn among the animals. Contained within the Law of Moses is the imprecatory language of God’s wrath against those who challenged His law and authority.

Moses brought the law to the people, beginning with the Ten Commandments. First and foremost is the commandment that no other god can come before service to the One True God. This was not a suggestion but a divine law that carried with it the divine wrath of a jealous God. To clarify how intent the Lord was to impose this law, Moses further explained the consequences of challenging the Law of God and the danger of serving the gods of men. If men came among the people and tried to lead them away from serving the Lord God, specific judgments were to be rendered to the city and its inhabitants.

Every person in the city must be killed without exception. No mercy is to be given to the city. Everyone must die. All the livestock must be slaughtered. Everything that belongs to the city’s inhabitants will be gathered in the middle of the street and burned. The city must be leveled to complete destruction. No person is to be left alive, no possessions kept, and the city made into a heap, never to be rebuilt again. This was the law of God. The Lord expected and demanded it be carried out to the fullest extent of the Law.

God demands justice against all ungodliness. It seems brutal to go into a city teeming with men, women, and children and slaughter every living being, including their animals. That was the command of the Lord against those who sought to steal away the hearts of His people to serve the gods of men. If a brother, sister, son, or daughter tries to lead hearts away to serve other gods, they are to be killed. A parent was not to consent to the actions of their rebellious children. They were commanded to kill their child and to be the first to cast a stone because they sought to entice the family away from the Lord God. There is no quarter given to sin. God tells Israel to hear His word and fear Him.

The failure of Israel to keep the law of God doomed the nation to be destroyed by God. Israel was once the apple of God’s eye. The nation of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians and Babylonians, never to rise again as God’s people. They stand as a monument to the wrath of God and the failure of human wisdom to obey the law of God. The Lord God is viewed as only a God of love and compassion; He is a God of love and compassion. But there is the nature of God that will unleash His wrath against those who refuse to obey Him. Human wisdom cannot define it. The Bible explains it. Jesus preached it. A day is coming when those who will not do the will of God will face an eternal wrath that will never end. The wrath of God is utter destruction – Hell.