In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth;” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – but it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.

Revelation 14:10 states, “they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.”

Have you ever asked who are “they” and when does this happen? These are the people John calls “those who dwell on the earth.” These are the people who hate God and hate those that love. They are the ones who worship (put their whole life into) the beast and receive his mark (become like the beast).

When is this happening? While “those who dwell on the earth” have existed throughout time, here we see that in response to the Beast’s final assertion of power, there are those who completely commit to their position against God such that their character has been transformed to match The Beast. By their own free choice, the image of God within them has been replaced by the enemy of life’s character: think rabid dogs or the popular depiction of zombies. What’s key is that as we follow the narrative, this is event is taking place at the time just before the last day of this earth as we know it and the re-establishment of God’s kingdom; this act is part of God’s plan of redemption.

What this means is, as we attempt to understand God’s wrath, we need to be clear that is experienced only by those who have set their course so completely in opposition to God and to those who love God that there is absolutely nothing more God can do for them.

If you had to deal with a dangerous, deadly, animal bent on destroying anything in it’s path, what would you do?