In the Gospel accounts of the New Testament, Jesus spoke of some of God’s most violent acts in the Old Testament as historical events.  He also spoke of lessons for us which are derived from these events.

Matthew 24:35-39: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Mark 6:11-12: “And whosoever shall not receive you (note that this is speaking of Jesus’ original twelve Apostles), nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.  And they went out, and preached that men should repent.”

In the New Testament epistles, Christ’s Apostles also spoke of some of God’s most violent acts in the Old Testament and spoke of lessons for us to which are derived from these events.

2 Peter 2:4-6: “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly…”

1 Corinthians 10:6-12: “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted (my note- “they”are Israelites judged by God in the Old Testament).  Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play (that is a reference to Exodus chapter 32).  Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand (that is a reference to Numbers 25- apparently not quite all judged at.this time died on the very same day).  Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents (that is a reference to Numbers 21:4-6).  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer (that is a reference to the 14,700 who died in the plague following Korah’s rebellion besides those directly involved in Korah’s rebellion- see Numbers 16:49).  Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

A key related word here is precedent.  

Here is a definition of precedent: “an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances.”

God’s judgments in the Old Testament are precedents which are foundational in establishing the knowledge of His ways.  This is confirmed by the writers of the New Testament.  

The truth that God ought to be feared and transgressors against Him won’t be spared on Judgment Day is proven and driven home by the precedents God has set by His vast acts of judgment displayed early on in the Bible.  This would be no less the case even if God did zero violence in the pages of the New Testament.  However, even that is not the case.

In the New Testament, we actually have many direct warnings of the eternal fire of hell and a clearer picture of what Judgment Day, and the severe events preceding that, will look like (especially in the Book of Revelation).  

We even have the sudden death of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5 to remind us that God did not vacate His throne nor cease to be a God of judgment in the era of the New Covenant.  

Later on in Acts (in chapter 12), we see how God killed Herod Agrippa.  This is also an example that God made to prove that He judges those without the Christian church as well as those within it.  We see there how Herod persecuted Christians and killed the Apostle James (the brother of John).  He also didn’t give God glory when he was called a god while making a speech.  

Herod’s judgment is a reminder as well that God’s judgments in the Old Testament against those complicit with suppressing His prescribed worship didn’t end “back then” and still stand as a warning to all people in every generation (think of the Egyptians and the plagues that God poured out upon them through Moses).

The Judgments in the Book of Revelation further seal that God’s character has always been the same and always will be the same.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  He will ultimately punish all the ungodly who refuse to repent and follow all His righteous ways in the fire of hell forever (Isaiah 66:24).  He has always been a God of judgment who will by no means clear the guilty, which yet delights to show mercy to those who will take warning, forsake their sins, and turn to Him with their whole hearts (and this is illustrated so well by the Old Testament Book of Jonah, where a people whose destruction was imminent by God’s very own warning were graciously spared because they repented at that warning and brought forth works worthy of repentance).  

Here are eleven of the most violent verses in the Bible which describe God’s actions.  These are found in the New Testament Book of Revelation.

Revelation 16:1-11: “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.  And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image.  And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.  And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.  And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy (meaning, fitting for this judgment).  And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.  And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.  And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

God has surely not become less violent now than He was in the Old Testament.  The following verses are evidently no less true now than when they were written.

Psalm 76:6-7: “At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.  Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?”

All of this has not even mentioned yet how the same God who deputized Israel to destroy the idolatrous, murderous, sexually immoral hardened sinners who were the Canaanites in the Old Testament also sent the Roman Army to take vengeance on the Jews themselves after the Jewish nation rejected the Messiah whom that nation was planted and established to bring forth.  

Though the judgment itself is not recorded in the pages of the New Testament, the clearest warnings about it are surely recorded there (and these echo Old Testament warnings going back to the Law of Moses itself).  

The testimony of historians, along with the obvious truths that the Temple was destroyed (and has never been rebuilt) and that the Jews were scattered throughout the world, testify that this judgment happened.  Sadly though, you’re more likely to hear about it in a history class than in a church.  Most pastors don’t talk about it.  

If churches talked about this judgment, not only would they be bringing up one of the many obvious proofs that God is truly not less violent now than He was in the Old Testament, they would also be bringing up an obvious proof that the natural Jews were disinherited from the land by God’s appointment. 

This logically then means that the doctrine of Zionism (which claims the Jews have a right to a homeland in the land which had been known as Canaan and calls for the support of modern Israel) is not a Biblical doctrine.  This also means that the natural Jews who reject Jesus Christ are not God’s chosen people.

Luke 19:41-44: “And when he (Jesus) was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!  but now they are hid from thine eyes.  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”

There were about 1,656 years between the creation in Genesis and the flood in Noah’s time.  If you think that the Bible is old and outdated, consider that there have been about 1,930 years since the last books of the Bible, in terms of chronology, were written.  When the flood hit in Noah’s time there had only been about 270 some less years that had passed from the creation until the flood than the years which have passed since the latest books of the Bible were written until today.

God then judged Sodom and Gomorrah approximately 450 years after the flood.  

Do you think that the people in Sodom and Gomorrah weren’t calling the stories of the flood old tales by then?  And do you think they were not calling the ways of men whom God deemed righteous (such as Noah) outdated, backwards, and regressive?  

Those are obviously rhetorical questions which have obvious answers.

Jeremiah 10:10: “But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.”

Psalm 92:5-9: “O Lord, how great are thy works!  and thy thoughts are very deep.  A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.  When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity (lawlessness) do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.  For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity (lawlessness) shall be scattered.”

Professing Christians tend to regard law and judgment in the Old Testament as null and void.  They say concerning such things “Oh, that was the Old Testament; that is not for Christians.”  

Those who do this do not adequately regard the proofs that God demands obedience and ought to be feared which are delineated in the New Testament either.

They don’t say “Oh, that was the Old Testament; that is not for Christians.” about Psalm 23 though.  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters…”

Why are they not consistent?  Everything from Genesis to Revelation is Jesus’ Word which testifies of Him.

Psalm 119:160: “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

John 8:58: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

Aaron’s email is: gospeltruth768@yahoo.com

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