God’s justice demands His wrath be poured out on sin, but God’s longsuffering and mercy often waits until a predetermined measure or threshold is reached by the offenders. God was patient with the Amorites until their iniquity became complete (Gen. 15:16). Paul described the ongoing opposition of the Jews to the gospel as them filling up the measure of their sins (1 Thess. 2:16).

Jesus appealed to this figure when He pronounced woe on the Jews of His generation. “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt… that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Matt. 23:32, 35-36). In rejecting and killing the Son of God, they were topping off the cup of God’s wrath and it would be poured out on them in full measure. This happened when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman armies in 70 A.D.

Job and the prophets spoke of drinking the cup of God’s wrath (Job. 21:20; Jer. 25:15-29; Ezek. 23:31-35). This figure helps us better understand the Lord’s prayer in Gethsemane. “Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done’” (Matt. 26:42). As the mob arrived to arrest Jesus, and Peter drew his sword to attack, the Lord said, “Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me? (John 18:11).

When Jesus died on the cross, He willingly drank the fullness of God’s wrath against sin on our behalf. He didn’t take a sip - He drained the cup down to the dregs (Is. 51:17)! We can either accept the salvation that Jesus made available, or we can suffer the full measure of God’s wrath in an eternal Hell for ourselves.