2 Thessalonians 1:6–8 (ESV) — 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with
affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief
to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting
vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel
of our Lord Jesus.
NOTE: God says
"Vengeance is mine, I will repay" in another part of the New
Testament. Here he tells us when he will repay. Generally, it is the day of
wrath (the seven year tribulations) culminating in the second coming of the
Lord. So, the vengeance is a "general" sort of vengeance against all
of humanity for the sins against believers in Christ. Certainly, each person
who dies without Jesus with face eternal punishment in Hell. No matter how
angry we might feel about their crime against us, one could not improve on
that. In fact, in those terms, my heart aches for those who have harmed us and
for those who are so stubbornly opposed to God. But God is just, and the only
payment for sin is Jesus's death or the person's death. In that sense, God is
perfectly just.
PRAYER: Father, open
our eyes to the truth of you word. There is so much wrong in the world. Help us
to see our frailty and stupidity. I pray we would repent and believe before the
day of judgment comes. Give me boldness to share my faith with others.
No comments:
Post a Comment