What do Og the King of Bashan and Sihon King of the Amorites (a.k.a. Sihon King of Heshbon) have in common?
They were both destroyed by the Israelites. We can read part of the account below.
“Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many. And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.” -Deuteronomy 3:1-6 (also see Deuteronomy 29:7-8 andDeuteronomy 31:4)
This is the destruction which comes upon the wicked. Except this is only the story we see.
The coming judgment of God is much worse than death by the sword, for the wicked who should fear that day.
I have heard of some people who detest what God did in the Old Testament. These must be the same people that scoff at a literal Hell. People who feel this way do not hate sin, they do not detest wickedness. Neither do they understand God, nor even the gospel.
Why did God will this? Because the wickedness of these people was great, “but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee” (See Deuteronomy 9:5). God is a Holy God who detests wickedness.
“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” - Psalm 7:11
“Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.” - Nahum 1:6
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.” - Isaiah 59:2-4
“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” -Deuteronomy 32:4
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” - Romans 11:33
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” - Isaiah 55:7-11
I thank our Lord Jesus Christ “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” - Galatians 1:4
Our Lord Jesus Christ by whose death we are justified, so that our iniquities no longer separate us from God (see Isaiah 53:11).
“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” - Nahum 1:7