The wrath of God: God’s wrath (or anger) is not a sudden emotional reaction. It is the holy God’s necessary response to human sin. Because God is just and good, God must respond to what destroys life and faithfulness.
The Old Testament often describes God’s wrath in specific historical events, such as Israel’s rebellion or injustice among the people (Exodus 32:10–12; Numbers 11:1; Jeremiah 21:3–7). It also looks ahead to a future time when God will judge human sin in a final and decisive way.
Paul usually speaks of God’s wrath as something that will happen at the end of history (Romans 2:5, 8; 5:9; Colossians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). However, when Paul uses the present tense and says that God’s wrath “is revealed,” he points to God’s actions in history as well. These passages show that God has already responded to sin throughout human history, not only at the end of time.