Anger, God’s

What mortals perceive as God’s “feelings” (such as anger or wrath) cannot be adequately defined in human terms. “We think God is very loving and benign because of the sacrifice of Christ. These words (‘Lord in his wrath’; ‘his anger was kindled against them,’ etc.) seem ‘Old Testament-like’ and not ‘New Testament-like.’ But consider how God’s wrath is manifested. He withdraws. When you want Him present and He withdraws, that disapproval can feel terrible.”¹ And on that day, people will proclaim: Give praise to the Lord; although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away and You’ve comforted me (2 Nephi 9:23 CE). “In that day,” mankind will finally see the events of history are culminating in a great, final effort to reach them. The anger (caused by their rejection of what was offered) is now “turned away,” but it wasn’t really anger: It was a refusal to accept what was offered. Men regard this as anger when they can’t get from God what He offers except on condition of obedience. They disobey, lose the blessing, and think God is angry with them. It is merely a perception (based upon their selfish view of everything) that He is angry. “We want our God to bless us, and we want to be able to offend Him, too. But since He can’t tolerate sin to any degree [Alma 21:3 CE], we are asking the impossible when we want Him to accompany us as we trample through and among the filth He asks us to avoid. As we finally repent and decide to do as He asks, His Spirit returns. We then rejoice and say His anger is turned away, and now He is there to comfort us. All along He was willing to do so, but we are difficult companions. As we reform and the Spirit returns to us, we take great comfort in finally receiving what He offered all along.”²See also WRATH.