Why did God's wrath come on Israel at Kadesh Barnea?
God's wrath came on Israel at Kadesh Barnea because of their unbelief. They could not take Him at His word and refused to take the land He said they could. This was His controversy with them, not the earlier golden calf incident, which was easier to forgive.
Les explains that when Israel reached Kadesh Barnea, the land was in front of them. The unbelief practiced around the golden calf was not what brought in the wrath of God; that was easy for Him to forgive. Rather, it was their unbelief that they could not take the land God said they could, and that was His controversy. It was nothing else but the fact that they could not take Him at His word. Les compares this to millions of people who will come before the great white throne, good people whose sin is unbelief—they could not believe what God said concerning the work of the cross.