What is the first thing you bring up when you are trying to share the gospel? Most of us, including myself, talk about the great love and kindness of Jesus. When He began His ministry, one of the first things Jesus did was heal the sick and cast out demons (Mark 1:21-31; Matt. 4:23; Luke 4:31-38). So, if that’s where the Bible starts, then it’s probably a good place for us to start. Many people have and will be moved to convert simply because of the perfect love demonstrated in Christ.
One of the last things we might bring up to an unbeliever is the tremendous wrath of God demonstrated in the Old Testament. If we are talking to an atheist, there is a part of us hoping and praying they don’t mention the killing of the Amalekites (cf. 1 Sam. 15:1-9). It’s easy to talk about the Jesus who says, “Love your enemies.” It’s difficult to talk about the God who says, “…utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them.”
However, an interesting trend shows this is a bad assumption. On January 30, 2026, more than 3 million additional documents related to the infamous human trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, were released. These files revealed shocking new details about his crimes and the powerful elites who were involved or enabled him to continue unpunished. In response to these heinous crimes, some self-described atheists on social media have been going viral for saying they are reconsidering religion. One reported statement said, “I’m giving up being an atheist. I have to believe there’s hell for these people.”
Many people today are completely ignorant of the evil that exists in the world. In an atheist world-view, it is widely accepted that mankind is generally “good” and that morality is a subjective concept that developed naturally in civilization. But, the Epstein files have proven them wrong. For the first time in their lives they have been faced with three truths: evil is real, evil must be punished, and men fail to provide justice. This profound failure of man can only be remedied by the hope that there is a God who will make it right.
We do not need to avoid God’s wrath when preaching the gospel. In fact, it may be the one thing that moves someone to repent. Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” Knowing that the God of the Bible hates evil and perfectly punishes moves us to do right and rejoice when wrong is repaid. “It is a joy for the just to do justice, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity” (Prov. 21:15). The wrath of God teaches us that good always triumphs over evil. In a world that is crying out for justice, we must be bold to preach the fear and comfort we can have in the perfect wrath of God.