In the day of the LORD, when God comes to judge the earth in His wrath and fierce anger, the people will leave their positions of battle and flee back to their own place and to their own people. They will try to find a place of safety, but there is no place of safety to those who fight against God. Isaiah 13:14b-19 tell the sad fate of those who try to run from the wrath of God.
“…they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land. 15) Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. 16) Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished. 17) Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. 18) Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. 19) And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”
When the nations scatter in the day of battle and flee to their own places, they will not be safe. On the way, people will be thrust through. If they try to band together, they will fall by the sword. Their earthly enemies will come upon them, having no pity upon women or children, even women who are with child. Their enemies will not be bought with bribes. Gold and silver will be no enticement. Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, from which all other nations were made rich, and with whom all other nations traded, will be destroyed. It will be as thoroughly destroyed as the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
It is impossible to fight against God and win. It is impossible to hide from God’s judgment. There is only one way of escape from the judgment of God – repentance.
When the people of Nineveh heard that judgment was going to be poured upon them, they humbled themselves and sought God’s mercy. They put on sackcloth and fasted and cried mightily to God, turning to God from their evil way. Their thought was, “Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?” (Jonah 3:9) And, God did indeed turn from his fierce anger. He saw their humility and the evidence of their repentance and He withheld His hand of judgment.
The way of escape from God’s wrath is the same today. One must turn to God from their idols to serve the living and true God. One must turn to God and put their trust in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead. Repentance and faith toward God result in salvation, which results in works that bring forth evidence of repentance. Thus, instead of judgment, one can have the same testimony as the Christians in Thessalonica, of whom the Scriptures say, “…in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9) For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10) And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (I Thessalonians 1:8b-10)