(Prov. 14:34) "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

Introduction:   We know that God is a just God and yet we see injustice in the world. It seems like sometimes that the righteous have a hard time and the unrighteous have it very easy. We raise the question -- okay, God, if you are going to be just, when are you going to deal with this injustice? The question of timing comes into place. All through the ages God's children have asked that question. How long? When is your judgment going to take place? When will justice prevail? The answer to that is in II Thess. 1:5-9. Verses 5 & 6 declare the truth of God’s justice but, beginning in verse 7 we see the timing of God's justice. The word, revealed, there is the same word from which we get the name of the last book of the Bible -- the Revelation. It means the unveiling. It is talking about that future event when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth. When you think in terms of the return of Jesus or the coming of the Lord there are two pillars that tie that truth together.

I.          THE FIRST IS THE WORD, RAPTURE.

The word, rapture, is a word that emerges from I Thess.4 which describes that time when the Lord Jesus will come in the air for His saints. That's the rapture.

II.        THE SECOND IS THE WORD, REVELATION,

This word describes the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth with his saints. It will be that climatic event ending the seven year tribulation. At that time God will administer His justice fully and finally on this earth.

A.        It's A Graphic Scene

He says the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. If you want to get a picture of that scene read Matthew 24 and Revelation 19. What a time that's going to be when the Lord Jesus himself will return in His revelation with his mighty angels and in flaming fire.

B.        It’s A Gory Scene

It says he will "take vengeance." The word, vengeance, is not the idea of human revenge. We're talking about God's vengeance. It means inflicting full judgment and punishment upon that which is evil and wrong (Illus: It's a picture of a criminal who is given exactly what his crime deserves. No more, no less). That statement is teaching us that one of these days when the Lord comes God's absolute justice will prevail on this earth and God will administer appropriate punishment for every sin and every evil that's been done.  

·         On who? (v.8)

Put those two things together. They don't know the Lord. That means they aren't saved. Why are they not saved? Because they obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.

            C.        It's A Solemn Passage

It is really God's description of the future judgment that awaits those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. The word, obey = to submit under, to hear under, to put yourself into submission to one. To hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is one of the most important and one of the most serious and solemn experiences any individual can ever have. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the good news that Jesus died on the cross for our sins; that He was buried, and three days later He arose again from the grave to live forevermore. That's glorious good news, but the gospel is not just preached as information to be received, the gospel is preached as a message to be believed and responded to. You either obey the gospel and repent of sin and receive the Lord Jesus Christ or you do not obey the gospel. He is saying here that those who have had an opportunity to receive Christ and did not receive Him as their Savior, that one day vengeance will fall.

D.        It's A Sad Picture (v.9)

The word, destruction, does not mean annihilation. Some are teaching today that there will be annihilation -- cessation of existence.

·         The Bible does not teach annihilation.

The word, destruction, means the loss of everything that makes existence meaningful. It means the loss of freedom, the loss of family, the loss of pleasure, the loss of God (Punishment with everlasting destruction). The next statement, "from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." 

·         The tragedies of tragedies

He is talking about the worst thing that any human being could ever experience. The tragedy of tragedies is for a person made by God and for God should live in eternity without God.  The hell of hell is not the flames of hell. It's not the anguish of hell; "From the presence of the Lord." Just as heaven is the presence of the Lord, hell is the absence of the Lord. The most severe separation of all is for a human being, made in the image of God, to be in eternity forever from the presence of the Lord.  No light, no life, no love.  It's a sad picture. Don't go to hell. Don't reject the Lord Jesus as your Savior. (Illus: Reason for preaching on hell - "The reason I preach on hell is because I believe there is one and I don't want anybody to go there.")  If there is not a hell we certainly wouldn't preach it.   But the Bible teaches there is a hell and we must to be faithful and true to the souls of individuals to whom we speak and tell the truth.

Conclusion:     What a tragedy to be separated from the presence of the Lord forever and forever. On the positive side, there’s not only destruction for the lost, but there's glorification for the saved (v.10) "when he shall come to be glorified in His saints."  There's a positive side to the justice of God, too. The Bible says that when the Lord comes he's going to be glorified in His saints. Not with his saints, not by his saints, but IN his saints.  He is working on us and in us and one of these days the Bible says he is going to be glorified in us when He comes.  The beautiful timing of the Lord.