Congregation Bible Study (30 min.): Rr ch. 18 paras. 1-8 and video.
1-3. (a) What will Jehovah's great fury lead to? b) What will we see next?
Men, women, and children sing a Kingdom song together in a room. Then an old man makes a heartfelt prayer to beg Jehovah for his protection. They all know very well that Jehovah will take care of the congregation, but they still need encouragement and support. From there they hear the sounds of the battle outside. Armageddon has already begun! (Rev. 16:14, 16).
When Jehovah executes the people in the war of Armageddon, he will not do so with a cold mind, but with “great fury” (read Ezekiel 38:18). Instead of projecting all his anger against an army or a nation, he will do so against many, many people who will be all over the planet. "Those whom Jehovah kills that day will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other."
If the Bible says that Jehovah, the God of love, is merciful, compassionate and patient, what leads him to feel such great fury and act like this? (Ex. 34: 6; 1 John 4:16). We will answer that question below. The answer will give us a lot of encouragement and courage, and it will also give us strength to continue preaching.
What causes Jehovah's “great fury”?
4, 5. What is the difference between the wrath of God and the wrath of man?
To begin with, keep in mind that Jehovah's anger is very different from that of human beings. When a person becomes angry and explodes, they usually lose their minds and things end badly. For example, Adam's first son, Cain, was enraged because Jehovah rejected his sacrifice but accepted Abel's offering. Which it was the result? Cain murdered his brother, "who was righteous" (Gen. 4: 3-8; Heb. 11: 4). Now consider David, who is said to have pleased Jehovah (Acts 13:22). Even this man of good feelings was about to provoke a massacre when he heard that Nabal, the owner of many lands, began to say atrocities against him and his men.David and his soldiers boiled their blood and “placed their sword” with the intention of killing not only the ungrateful Nabal, but also all the men in his household. Fortunately, Nabal's wife, Abigail, managed to convince David and his men not to retaliate (1 Sam. 25: 9-14, 32, 33). It is not surprising that Jehovah recorded these words in the letter of James: "The anger of man does not produce the justice of God" ( James 1:20).
Unlike human beings, Jehovah always controls his anger. And when he gets angry, it is always clear why. Even when you are very angry, act fairly. In fighting his enemies, he never destroys “righteous people along with wicked people” (Gen. 18: 22-25). Furthermore, the reasons for which Jehovah is enraged are just. Let's look at two of these reasons and the lessons we can learn.
6. How does Jehovah react when his name is desecrated?
Reason: When Jehovah's name is profaned. Those who claim to represent Jehovah but act wickedly stain his reputation and provoke his just wrath. --Ezek. 36:23. As we saw in previous chapters, the nation of Israel badly stained Jehovah's name. No wonder the attitude and actions of the nation made Jehovah furious. But he never lost his temper; He punished his people only "to the extent that it was due," never going overboard (Jer. 30:11). And once Jehovah's fury served its purpose, he was not left with even a shred of resentment. --Ps. 103: 9.
7, 8. What lessons can we learn from Jehovah's treatment of the Israelites?
Lessons: As we look at the way Jehovah treated the Israelites, we find a very serious warning for us. Like the Israelites of old, we are honored to bear Jehovah's name. In fact, we are Jehovah's Witnesses (Isa. 43:10). What we say and what we do influences what others think of our God. We would never want to do something wrong on purpose and thus taint Jehovah's name. That would be hypocritical on our part and would certainly provoke his ire. And it is clear that sooner or later he would do something to cleanse his reputation (Heb. 3:13, 15; 2 Pet. 2: 1, 2).
Should we know that Jehovah can feel such great fury away from Jehovah? No. He is patient and willing to forgive (Isa. 55: 7; Rom. 2: 4). But it must be recognized that his good feelings do not cloud his reason. In fact, we cultivate a deep respect for him, because we know that he will unleash his fury against those who are bent on doing evil and that he will not allow them to remain part of his people (1 Cor. 5: 11-13). Jehovah has clearly told us what things bother him. Now it is up to us to avoid the attitudes and actions that provoke him (John 3:36; Rom. 1: 26-32; James 4: 8).
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