"God is not mad at you, no matter what!" This is what most people in the world believe. In fact, there are religious groups who use this as their slogan. However, the Bible paints quite a different picture.

In Exodus 4:14, as God was choosing the one who would lead Israel from Egyptian bondage, "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses" because Moses continued to make excuses for not doing God's will.

In Leviticus 10:1-7, Nadab and Abihu were struck dead because they "offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not."

In Numbers 12, when Aaron and Miriam "spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married&ldots;the anger of the LORD was kindled against them."

In Deuteronomy 9:19-20, as Moses was reminding the Israelites of the terrible sin they had committed in asking Aaron to make the golden calf, he spoke of "the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you."

In Acts 5:1-11, when Ananias and Sapphira had conspired with each other to lie to the Holy Ghost, we see God's anger in striking the two of them dead on the spot.

So we see from simple Bible history that God can be mad at mankind. Further study shows that God is mad at:

1. Those who suppress the truth - Romans 1:18 - "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."

2. Those who are hard-hearted - Romans 2:5 - "But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."

3. Those who are self-seeking and disobedient - Romans 2:8 - "But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and wrath."

4. Those who practice evil - Romans 13:4 - "For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil."

5. Those who are deceivers - Ephesians 5:6 - "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."

6. Those who engage in sexual immorality - Col. 3:5-6 - "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience."

Psalm 7:11 tells us that "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day." But we don't have to face the wrath of God. "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:9). As long as we are obedient to Him, God is not mad at you or me. We may slip up from time to time and sin, but as long as we recognize our sin and turn from our wrongdoing in repentance, asking God to forgive us, He will not be mad at us.

If we refuse to become obedient or if we sin and continue living in our sin with no intention of repenting, God is definitely mad at us, and, as we have seen, will punish us severely.

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).

By Tim Johnson