"BTW-I would disagree on that. I think there is much to say in the New Testament on God's wrath. Whether you wish to take Revelation as literal or an allegory, God's judgment will be severe. And, don't forget Ananias and Sapphira and what happened to them simply for lying to the Holy Spirit."
The Final Judgment will indeed be severe, but it appears we were speaking of God killing people here on earth now and in the past. I personally think that in some cases that might well be true, but for reasons rather different than you might ascribe to. I am curious, and I may have asked this before, what do you believe the effect of sin is in and, for that matter, on the world?
That is one of the reasons I mentioned Ananias and Sapphira. It is a New Testament of an example of God killing people for overt sins.
Forgive me for my anecdotal story but I'm reminded of a 38-year old man several years ago who decided, in order to win a radio contest for the most outlandish stunt, decided that he would have sex with someone in St. Patrick's Cathedral and broadcast it on the radio. He was of course arrest, booked and when they went to get him from his cell to go before the judge, they found this healthy 38 year old dead from a massive heart attack.
Coincidence? Calvinists don't believe in that sort of thing. IMO God sought to exercise his vengeance for desecration of His holiness, just as He exercised vengeance against Belshazzar.
Granted, this is only an anecdote. You could point to a number of people who constantly rally against God and live on for years. We wonder, as did David, why God allows this? There aren't any good answers as to why God chooses to allow Simon the magician to live and to take Ananias' life.
I am curious, and I may have asked this before, what do you believe the effect of sin is in and, for that matter, on the world?
I'm not quite sure I understand your question. The effect of sin is dead. That is why we see dead and destruction all around us. The world is simply reaping what it has sown. But God controls all of this, including the time and circumstances of our dead.
There are many places in the Old Testament where God steps in and have people killed or directly kills someone. Why should we think that God has changed His tactics?