Vengeance = Wrath?

What is the difference between the Lord's vengeance and His wrath?

vengeance, n.
1. infliction of injury, harm, humiliation, or the like, on a person by another who has been harmed by that person; violent revenge: But have you the right to vengeance?
2. an act or opportunity of inflicting such trouble: to take one's vengeance.
3. the desire for revenge: a man full of vengeance.
4. Obs. hurt; injury.
5. Obs. curse; imprecation.
6. with a vengeance,
a. with force or violence.
b. greatly; extremely.
c. to an unreasonable, excessive, or surprising degree: He attacked the job with a vengeance.
—Syn. 1. requital, retaliation. See revenge.
—Ant. 1. forgiveness.

wrath, räth or, esp. Brit., rôth), n.
1. strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire.
2. vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger.
–adj.
3. Archaic. wroth.
—Syn. 1. rage, resentment, fury, choler.

 

Why do people continue to think that citing English dictionaries of Greek words used in theological contexts is an answer?? Please folks ... let's deal with theology.

Yes, biblically speaking, his vengeance seems to be the same as his wrath, at least practically speaking. Did you have some specific reference in mind? And how does this deal with CvA?

 

Then why don't you post the theological definition of "vengeance" and "wrath" and lets see how they differ from the english definition!

 

Because I don't have time to get deeply involved in it. Get out a theological dictionary and some commentaries, along with some lexicons and look them up.

 

Your recommendations for an Electronic Theological dictionary would be useful.

 

Don't know of any electronic theological dictionaries. I like hardbound stuff myself. The only e-stuff I have is BibleWorks and the Theological Journal CD.

 

Wes,

Try Bibleworks software... It's the best, period.

 

Pastor Larry

Great minds think alike.. and pretty much at the same time also ! ha...

 

Vengeance is retaliation for something done to you, which you attempt to avenge for! You have a personal motivation to avenge an unjust act or situation, and your target is the perpetrator of the act or condition against you.

Wrath is venting of anger without specific or defineable cause or direction or target.

 

I would suggest Ray that God will pour out his wrath upon the condition of Sin, the persons and agencies of evil, Not specifically on man, but only those men who have refused him.

Scriptures state "Vengeance is mine" sayeth the Lord. Telling us that we are not the ones who need to venge for acts committed against us, for God Himself will do that avenging for us and in our stead, but in His time and His way.

 

Wes, these two statements seem contradictory. You first say that wrath has not specific or definable cause, direction, or target (problemmatic in itself since it makes God capricious. His wrath has a clear cause and target: sin and those who do it). Then you say that God's wrath is poured out on sin, which incidentally meets your first definition of vengeance. So while there may be a slightly different color, there is no clear difference that I can see.

 

When God pours out his wrath, it will not be target specific in the manner that vengeance is target specific. God's wrath is against powers and principalities all of which are not defineable by man.

His Vengeance will have specific targets....those who have done harm to those we idendify as believers, or God's children, and those have been defined from the beginning, and include All persecutors, and I personally believe all abortionists as an example.

 

Revelation 6:15-17 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

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

Here are just two of many verses that describe the specific targets of wrath, not just powers and principalities that are undefinable by man.

Wes, what leads you to make this distinction?

 

Principalities and powers are not earth governments for we do not wrestle against them. We wrestle against spiritual things such as sin, evil, seduction, lies and liars, evil spirits, demons, etc.

That is not to say that governments are not a problem, but we uniquely and individually "wrestle against" things of spirit. And I know of no clear definition of them.

And Ray is isn't the buildings and people it is the spirit of evil that accompanies abortion.

And it will be the spirit of Communism, Fascism, Islam, etc. that the wrath of God is poured out on.

Vengeance is taken against those larry mentions, and yes I recognize scripture calls that wrath. But my graceous, who appoints those leaders? In is God, and God will avenge their deeds.