Anger Toward Christ's Return and Its Meaning

The New Testament nowhere describes believers as angry toward Christ's return. Rather, Scripture consistently portrays the second advent as an object of longing, hope, and eager expectation among the faithful. The question itself may arise from confusion between two distinct biblical themes: the anger of God manifested at Christ's return, and the hostility of unbelievers toward Christ himself.

The Anger of God at the Second Coming

Revelation 11:18 explicitly connects divine anger with the eschatological moment: "And, the nations, were angered; and thine anger, came, and the fit time of the dead, to be vindicated" ^[5]. This passage presents a dual anger—the rage of rebellious nations and the corresponding wrath of God. The divine anger here functions as judicial response to persistent rejection of God's authority. Similarly, 2 Thessalonians 1:8 describes Christ's return "in a fiery flame; holding forth vengeance—against them that refuse to know God, and them who decline to hearken unto the glad-message of our Lord Jesus" ^[8]. This vengeance is not arbitrary fury but the execution of righteous judgment against those who have spurned the gospel.

The anger of God, as Easton's Bible Dictionary clarifies, "merely denotes his displeasure with sin and with sinners" ^[1]. When attributed to God, anger is not an emotional loss of control but a settled opposition to evil. The prophetic literature emphasizes that God's anger accomplishes specific purposes: "The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart" ^{[6, 9]}. This purposeful wrath reaches its climax at the parousia, when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.

Hatred Toward Christ Distinguished from Anger at His Return

What Scripture does describe is hatred toward Christ himself, which necessarily extends to opposition to his claims and his kingdom. Topical references catalog this hostility: "Is without cause," citing Psalm 69:4 and John 15:25, and "Is on account of his testimony against the world" ^[3]. This hatred, rooted in the rejection of Christ's person and work, logically entails resistance to the idea of his return in judgment. The parable in Luke 19:12-14 illustrates this: citizens send a message after their departing nobleman, saying, "We will not have this man to reign over us" ^[3]. Their anger is not at the concept of his return but at the prospect of his rule.

Charles Hodge notes that the Jewish nation rejected Christ through its representatives—"the Sanhedrim, the High Priest, the scribes and the Pharisees"—and this corporate rejection had eschatological consequences ^[11]. The refusal to acknowledge Christ's lordship in his first advent naturally produces dread, not mere anger, at the prospect of his second advent in power.

The Believer's Posture Toward the Second Coming

For those who trust in Christ, the second advent is termed "the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord" and "times of restitution of all things" ^[4]. The Apostolic Christians, Hodge observes, maintained a constant prayer: "O Lord come quickly," and the New Testament writers "speak of the day of the Lord as at hand, and exhort believers to watch and pray" ^[15]. This eager expectation stands in stark contrast to any notion of anger or resentment.

The three Greek terms used for Christ's return—apokalupsis (unveiling), parousia (presence or arrival), and epiphaneia (manifestation)—all carry connotations of hope and fulfillment rather than dread ^[7]. The Augsburg Confession's article on Christ's return to judgment, while brief in the retrieved excerpt, reflects the creedal consensus that believers await this event as vindication, not as threat ^[14].

Anger as a Human Passion and Its Relation to Eschatology

Aquinas distinguishes between anger as a simple movement of the will, whereby one inflicts punishment through reasoned judgment, and anger as passion ^[13]. In the latter sense, anger "is caused by a difficult evil already present" and involves "the desire of revenge" ^[10]. This analysis helps clarify why believers would not experience anger toward Christ's return: the return itself is not an evil but the consummation of redemption. Any anger believers might feel would be directed at present injustice or suffering, not at the prospect of Christ's appearing.

John Gill's commentary on Psalm 30:5 notes that divine anger toward believers is not anger "in reality" but only "in their apprehension," since God's actions during chastisement resemble those of an angry person ^[12]. When God "returns" after a period of discipline, it is with favor, not continued wrath. This pattern of temporary discipline followed by restoration mirrors the eschatological hope: present suffering gives way to future glory at Christ's return.

The Nations' Rage and Its Futility

The anger of the nations at the eschaton, mentioned in Revelation 11:18, represents the culmination of human rebellion ^[5]. This corporate rage is not a reasoned objection to Christ's return but the final spasm of defiance against divine sovereignty. Psalm 2, frequently cited in eschatological contexts, depicts the nations raging and the peoples plotting in vain against the Lord and his Anointed, only to face the declaration: "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion" ^[3]. The punishment for those who persevere in this hatred is inescapable ^[3].

The concept of anger toward Christ's return, if it exists among professing believers, would signal a fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel. Christ's return means the aversion of God's wrath for those who believe: "the anger of God is averted from them that believe" through Christ's atoning work ^[2]. To be angry at the prospect of his return would be to reject the very salvation he accomplished and to align oneself, however inconsistently, with those who refuse to know God ^[8].

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Anger — The emotion of instant displeasure on account of something evil that presents itself to our view. In itself it is an original susceptibility of our nature, just as love is, and is not necessarily sinful. It may, however, become sinful when causeless, or excessive, or protracted (Matt. 5:22; Eph. 4:26; Col. 3:8). As ascribed to God, it merely denotes his displeasure with sin and with sinners (Ps. 7:11).”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Anger of God, The — Averted by Christ -- Lu 2:11,14; Ro 5:9; 2Co 5:18,19; Eph 2:14,17; Col 1:20; 1Th 1:10. Is averted from them that believe -- Joh 3:14-18; Ro 3:25; 5:1. Is averted upon confession of sin and repentance -- Job 33:27,28; Ps 106:43-45; Jer 3:12,13; 18:7,8; 31:18-20; Joe 2:12-14; Lu 15:18-20. Is slow -- Ps 103:8; Isa 48:9; Jon 4:2; Na 1:3. Is righteous -- Ps 58:10,11; La 1:18; Ro 2:6,8; 3:5,6; Re 16:6,7. The justice of, not to be questioned -- Ro 9:18,20,22. Manifested in terrors -- Ex 14:24; Ps 76:6-8; Jer 10:10; La 2:20-22. Manifested in judgments and”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Hatred to Christ — Is without cause -- Ps 69:4; Joh 15:25. Is on account of his testimony against the world -- Joh 7:7. Involves Hatred to his Father. -- Joh 15:23,24. Hatred to his people. -- Joh 15:18. Punishment of -- Ps 2:2,9; 21:8. No escape for those who persevere in -- 1Co 15:25; Heb 10:29-31. Illustrated -- Lu 19:12-14,17. Exemplified Chief priests & c. -- Mt 27:1,2; Lu 22:5. Jews. -- Mt 27:22,23. Scribes & c. -- Mr 11:18; Lu 11:53,54.”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Second Coming of Christ, The — Time of, unknown -- Mt 24:36; Mr 13:32. Called the Times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. -- Ac 3:19. Times of restitution of all things. -- Ac 3:21; Ro 8:21. Last time. -- 1Pe 1:5. Appearing of Jesus Christ. -- 1Pe 1:7. Revelation of Jesus Christ. -- 1Pe 1:13. Glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour. -- Tit 2:13. Coming of the day of God. -- 2Pe 3:12. Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- 1Co 1:8. Foretold by Prophets. -- Da 7:13; Jude 1:14. Himself. -- Mt 25:31; Joh 14:3. Apostles. -- Ac 3:20; 1Ti 6:14. Angels. -- A”
Revelation of John “Revelation of John 11:18 (Rotherham) — And, the nations, were angered; and thine anger, came, and the fit time of the dead, to be vindicated, and to give their reward unto thy servants the prophets, and unto the saints, and unto them who revere thy name—the small and the great, and to despoil them who were despoiling the earth.”
Jeremiah “Jeremiah 23:20 (BSB) — The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand this clearly.”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Revelation of Christ — The second advent of Christ. Three different Greek words are used by the apostles to express this, (1) apokalupsis (1 Cor. 1;7; 2 Thess. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13); (2) parousia (Matt. 24:3, 27; 1 Thess. 2:19; James 5:7, 8); (3) epiphaneia (1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 1:10; 4:1-8; Titus 2:13). There existed among Christians a wide expectation, founded on Matt. 24:29, 30, 34, of the speedy return of Christ. (See [533]MILLENNIUM.)”
II Thessalonians “II Thessalonians 1:8 (Rotherham) — In a fiery flame; holding forth vengeance—against them that refuse to know God, and them who decline to hearken unto the glad-message of our Lord Jesus,”
Jeremiah “Jeremiah 30:24 (BSB) — The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand this.”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part (Prima Secundae), How the Passions Differ from One Another, Art. 3: Article: Whether any passion of the soul has no contrariety? I answer that, The passion of anger is peculiar in this, that it cannot have a contrary, either according to approach and withdrawal, or according to the contrariety of good and evil. For anger is caused by a difficult evil already present: and when such an evil is present, the appetite must needs either succumb, so that it does not go beyond the limits of "sadness," which is a concupiscible passion; or else it”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 88: is in bitterness for his first-born.” This is to be a national conversion, for it is said “the land shall mourn” every family apart. 4. The most decisive passage, however, bearing on this subject, one which may be taken “ instar omnium ,” is the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans . Paul had taught, (1.) That God had cast off the Jews as a nation because they as a nation, represented by the Sanhedrim, the High Priest, the scribes and the Pharisees, by their rulers of every class, and by the popular voice, had rejected Christ. “H”
Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 30:5: For his anger endureth but a moment,.... Anger is not properly in God, he being a simple, uncompounded, immovable, and unchangeable being; nor is it ever towards his people in reality, unless anger is distinguished from wrath, and is considered as consistent with his everlasting and invariable love to them; but only in their apprehension, he doing those things which in some respects are similar to those which men do when they are angry; he turns away from them and hides his face, he chides, chastises, and afflicts, and then they conclude he is angry; and when he retur”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Anger, Art. 8: Article: Whether there is a vice opposed to anger resulting from lack of anger? I answer that, Anger may be understood in two ways. In one way, as a simple movement of the will, whereby one inflicts punishment, not through passion, but in virtue of a judgment of the reason: and thus without doubt lack of anger is a sin. This is the sense in which anger is taken in the saying of Chrysostom, for he says (Hom. xi in Matth., in the Opus Imperfectum, falsely ascribed to St. John Chrysostom): "Anger, when”
Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), Article XVII. Of Christ's Return to Judgment.: Article XVII. Of Christ's Return to Judgment.”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 95: was not to come until a great apostasy had occurred. (5.) Nevertheless as the Apostolic Christians did not know how long that apostasy was to continue, their constant prayer was, O Lord come quickly. The Apostles continued to hold up the second advent as an impending event, the moral impression of which ought to be to raise the affections of the people from the world and fix them on the things unseen and eternal. Those who urge the fact that the New Testament writers speak of the day of the Lord as at hand, and exhort believers to watch a”

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