The Vengeance & Judgment of God Part 2 | 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

A day of great woe is coming.
It is the day of the Lord.
It is the time of the revelation of the judge from Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ.
IT IS A DAY OF VENGEANCE.
It will be a time when justice is meted out. It will be a time when those who have afflicted God’s people will be afflicted by God.
It will be a fearful time, when the world experiences the FURY of God.
That should cause humanity to tremble.
We have known men whom no one would want to meet in a furious state.
Think about meeting with the fury of God.
Think about someone who possesses all power, someone who gives us our existence and sustains it, someone who is accountable to no one but Himself, and His fury is now vented upon you.
The Bible describes God’s judgment in terms of fury.
Romans 2:8 - but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (Romans 2:8 ESV)
ESV Revelation 16:17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into athe air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, b"It is done!" 18 And there were aflashes of lightning, rumblings,1 peals of thunder, and ba great earthquake csuch as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 aThe great city bwas split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God cremembered dBabylon the great, eto make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. (Rev 16:17 ESV)
ESV Revelation 19:15 aFrom his mouth comes a sharp sword bwith which to strike down the nations, and che will rule them with a rod of iron. dHe will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. (Rev 19:15 ESV)
θυμός is the word. It means passion, anger, wrath, rage.
God’s judgment is described with words that communicate feeling. God will zealously, passionately, carry out the sentences of justice.
THAT IS, GOD’S JUDGMENT WILL BE IN FULL AGREEMENT WITH HIS DESIRES AND IN EXPRESSION OF HIS UNLIMITED POWER.
These are truths that must be preached to the world.
The apostles preached the truth of the coming judgment of God in Christ to the lost.
This is what Paul preached to the Athenians.
ESV Acts 17:31 because he has fixed aa day on which bhe will judge the world cin righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and dof this he has given assurance to all eby raising him from the dead." (Act 17:31 ESV)
But as we saw this morning, this is also something that must be preached to the church.
It is because the Lord’s people know that this day is coming that they can entrust themselves to a faithful creator. It is because of faith in the justice of God that God’s people can rest and trust even when they are living in days of injustice and persecution and suffering.
*Yes, we want the repentance and the salvation of sinners. Yes, we are very much aware of God’s mercy to us in our own case. But we do not want a world without justice.
*Some have been troubled by the cries of God’s people for vengeance in the Old Testament. Some have even tried to pit the God of the Old Testament against what we see in the New, as if the Old Testament God is at odds with the God of the New Testament, or man’s views of God have somehow evolved and that explains what they think to be a discrepancy.
The fact of the matter, as we see in our text, is that we have the same God in the Old and New Testaments and His character and nature have not changed. We see judgment and we see grace in the Old Testament. We see judgment and we see grace in the New. We see offers of salvation in the Old Testament and we see offers of salvation in the New. We see God’s people longing for justice in the Old Testament and we see God’s people longing for justice in the New.
ESV 2 Timothy 4:14 aAlexander the coppersmith did me great harm; bthe Lord will repay him according to his deeds. (2Ti 4:14 ESV)
Every human heart, even the heart most confused about what true justice is and would substitute perversion for justice, desires justice according to its vision.
When Jesus comes again He is bringing justice with Him.
Not a justice formed according to the standards of men.
Not a justice that accords with our own personal desires.