When Justice is Final


2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 "This is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you."

 Paul begins his second letter to the Thessalonians and commends them for their faith and love, which he sees is growing more and more.  He sees this as evidence that they are in Christ and will not be judged but counted as worthy for eternal life one day.  He also acknowledges that though they are being persecuted and suffering now one day those who are persecuting them will be judged.  And this will come when Jesus comes back to judge the living and the dead.  

 Paul gives an apocalyptical vision of Jesus' return. When Jesus returns from heaven he comes blazing with fire with his angels.  In the bible fire is always seen as a sign of judgment.  When Jesus returns those who have rejected (the verse says "disobeyed") the Good News will be judged and separated from God forever.  We often call this "hell".  A better definition for hell is "separation from God".  Fire was used to separate the wheat and the chaff, and was a metaphor for God separating good from evil. Separating those who believe from those who don't believe. Fire not only destroyed but also cleansed and purified.  

 While it is hard for us to imagine someone being judged forever for rejecting Jesus, the bible teaches a final judgement upon Jesus' return.  It is not because God doesn't love all people or want them all to be saved, but some will reject the Good News Jesus came to bring. In rejecting Jesus, they rejected God.  God showed the whole world the full extent of His love when He sent His only Son to die on a cross for our sins.  But those who reject Jesus' sacrifice remain in their sin and have to pay the penalty for it because God is a just judge. After all if you were in the courtroom, you would not want an unjust judge.

 So at the end of the day those who are evil and don't repent from it will be judged.  When we see bad things happening to good people it is because of the evil in the world done by those who choose to do evil and disobey God.  It seems like some who perpetrate evil go unscathed in this life, but in the life to come there will be justice.  While we don't want anyone to be judged for all of eternity, God is always right in his judgment and never does so unfairly.  This is why it is so important for us as the church to contine to spread the Good News so more people will be found in Him when Jesus returns. 




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