Nahum: God's Wrath on Nations

Written a century after Jonah, between 663 and 612 BC, Nahum prophesies the downfall of the Assyrian Empire. Written to Nineveh, a chief city in the empire, the LORD foretells of his coming wrath against the Assyrians for their unceasing evil (3:19). Upon wider biblical reflection, the theme of God's wrath on nations reveals that God judges states, nations, and empires based on their response to God and his moral order (cf. Jer. 18:7-10). Furthermore, the wrath promised to wicked nations is also decreed for any person who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 10:19-31). The only hope for salvation from the wrath of God is by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 5:8-9).