Rebellion against God is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, illustrating the consequences of defying divine authority and commandments. The Scriptures consistently depict rebellion as a grave sin that incurs God's judgment and punishment.

Old Testament Examples

1. Adam and Eve: The first act of rebellion is found in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve disobey God's command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As a result, they are expelled from the Garden of Eden, and sin enters the world. Genesis 3:17-19 states, "To Adam He said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.'"

2. The Israelites in the Wilderness: The Israelites frequently rebelled against God during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. In Numbers 14, after the Israelites refuse to enter Canaan due to fear, God decrees that the entire generation will die in the wilderness. Numbers 14:22-23 records, "Not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times—not one will ever see the land I swore to give their fathers."

3. Korah's Rebellion: In Numbers 16, Korah and his followers challenge the leadership of Moses and Aaron. God punishes them by causing the earth to open and swallow them. Numbers 16:32-33 states, "And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s men and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned; the earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly."

New Testament Teachings

1. The Parable of the Tenants: Jesus illustrates rebellion against God through the Parable of the Tenants in Matthew 21:33-46. The tenants, representing Israel's leaders, reject and kill the landowner's son, symbolizing Jesus. Matthew 21:41 says, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," indicating the severe consequences of rejecting God's Son.

2. Ananias and Sapphira: In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit about the proceeds from a land sale. Their rebellion results in immediate death. Acts 5:3-5 recounts, "Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land? ... As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died.'"

3. The Wrath of God: Romans 1:18-32 describes the wrath of God against those who suppress the truth and engage in unrighteousness. Romans 1:18 declares, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness."

Eternal Consequences

The Bible warns of eternal punishment for those who persist in rebellion against God. Revelation 20:15 states, "And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." This ultimate punishment underscores the seriousness of rebelling against God's authority and the necessity of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Throughout Scripture, rebellion against God is met with divine judgment, serving as a solemn reminder of the importance of obedience and faithfulness to the Creator.Leviticus 26:14-39
But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Samuel 12:15
But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 1:20
But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 4:16-18
Make you mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 20:8,38
But they rebelled against me, and would not listen to me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury on them, to accomplish my anger against them in the middle of the land of Egypt.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

"Because the Carnal Mind is Enmity against God, for it is not ...
... of men, but from this fountain, the rebellion of the ... verse 19, "Yea, they spake against
God." Wherein you ... men have already deserved infinite punishment at his ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xx because the carnal.htm

What Evil Is. That Evil is that which is against Nature. In ...
... Augustin's view seems to exclude the permanence of evil in the world, and so
everlasting punishment and everlasting rebellion against God. ...
/.../chapter 2 name evil is.htm

Appendix xix. On Eternal Punishment, According to the Rabbis and ...
... since it is unthinkable that rebellion should absolutely cease, and yet punishment
continue; annihilation ... although he was sinning against God, yet He ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xix on eternal punishment.htm

Whether Death is the Punishment of Our First Parents' Sin?
... sin man's mind withdrew from subjection to God, the result ... his reason, whence there
followed so great a rebellion of the carnal appetite against the reason ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether death is the punishment.htm

Will the Knowledge that Some of Our Own are Lost, Mar Our ...
... rage at your father's crime, that you can find no punishment severe enough ... of those
fallen spirits who sided with him in his rebellion against God, and became ...
/.../boudreaux/the happiness of heaven/chapter xii will the knowledge.htm

That the Judgment of God and Men as to Human Acts of violence, is ...
... while the Egyptians were in open rebellion against God, for they used the gold,
God's creature, in the ... Thus the Egyptians deserved the punishment, and the ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter ix that the judgment of.htm

A Threefold Thought of Sin and Forgiveness
... as for God, my Friend and my Life, rebellion and separation ... they lie there before
the Throne of God, and cry ... has wiped out the record that is against us, the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/a threefold thought of sin.htm

Concerning the Devil and Demons.
... him, and determined to rise in rebellion against Him [1672 ... conceded to them, as for
instance, against Job [1677 ... God reveals the future to the angels and commands ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter iv concerning the devil and.htm

"The Eternity of Hell-Torments"
... punishment is to be so. That there is such a being whom we call the devil; that
he was once an angel of light, but for his pride and rebellion against God, was ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the eternity of hell-torments.htm

Forgiven and Unforgiving
... in it the virus of rebellion against God, and the ... sin should bring down a tremendous
punishment. ... are responsible for our individual transgressions against God. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/forgiven and unforgiving.htm

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