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The recording and the reading of this list is nauseating, but the facts that are recorded
will be horrible beyond description. And here again we add one more of the many
correspondences which these studies are making with the book of Genesis, namely the
solemn words of Gen. 9: 6:
"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed",
to which is added both the basic reason and another connexion with the Revelation:
"For in the image of God made He man."
It is a solemn thing to know that it is possible to "blaspheme" our fellow-men who are
made in the "image" of God (Titus 3: 2 and Rev. 13: 6). Idolatry violates that glory
conferred upon man as well as the glory of God Himself:
"They . . . . . changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like unto
corruptible man . . . . . who changed the truth of God into a lie (or `exchanged the glory'
for `THE LIE'), and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, Who is
blessed for ever. Amen" (Rom. 1: 21-25).
This abandonment leads straight on with excessive abuse of the gift of sex, even as
this same evil is seen to preponderate in the book of the Revelation. The worship of the
Beast and of his IMAGE dethrones not only God, but man, and turns the whole direction
of life toward "the lie", Satan's counterfeit. Because of this we read of "the wrath of
God".
WRATH
The word orge (translated "wrath") occurs twelve times in Romans, and of these
occurrences seven are found in the first great doctrinal division (Rom. 1: 1 - 5: 11). It is
an important word, and seeing that it is placed in distinct relation to righteousness in
Rom. 1: 17, 18, it demands a prayerful study. We observe in the first place that "wrath"
is used in the outer portion of Romans only. The word is not used in Rom. 5: 12-8: 39.
The word "wrath" is not used of either Adam or of man seen in Adam. Judgment,
condemnation and death there are, but unaccompanied by wrath. There is no wrath either
in connexion with the lake of fire, or the great white throne in Rev. 20: All is calm,
books are opened, every one is dealt with in pure justice. Wrath, anger, indignation, fury,
these words are of a different category.
Many times do we read that the wrath or the anger of the Lord was "kindled", as in
Exod. 4: 14, or of wrath "waxing hot", as in Exod. 22: 24, or of His anger "smoking"
(Psa. 74: 1), and of it being poured out in "fury" (Isa. 42: 25). The nature of the wrath
of Rom. 1: 18, and of the day of wrath with which it is connected (Rom. 2: 5), is
discovered in the book of Revelation. Those upon whom this wrath is poured are the
"nations", and the time is the time of the dead that they should be judged and rewarded
(Rev. 11: 18; 19: 15). This wrath falls particularly upon Babylon (Rev. 16: 19), and in
direct connexion with its idolatry and uncleanness (Rev. 14: 8-10); Babylon is in view