Hi, and thanks so much for listening to the latest episode from the Hemi Proclaim podcast. We're taking you through a famous passage about what to expect in the end times before the glorious second coming of Jesus. Before we continue in 2 Thessalonians, it may help to ask yourself this question. Why does Jesus need to come back? Aren't we doing okay and have everything under control?
Things seem pretty fair for everyone, right?
Well, that's totally not the case. History is replete with examples of injustice, and you probably have examples in your life of unfair treatment. The passage today will answer some hard questions you may have about this topic. Let's listen now to a message John calls the comfort of Christ's just judgment. Take your Bibles and turn to the book of 2 Thessalonians 1.
And let's read verses 5 through 10 together. Second Thessalonians chapter one in verses five through ten. And so let's hear the word of the Lord through the Apostle Paul. Paul writes this, beginning in verse 5. He says, This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God.
That Or so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God. for which you are also suffering. Since indeed God considers it just To repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief. To you who are afflicted, as well as to us, that is, Paul, Silas, and Timothy. When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 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. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction. Away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes on that day. to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was malit. Most adults who have children have performed playground duty.
How many of you have ever performed playground duty, right? It's quite fun. But adults who have performed playground duty have heard the familiar protest that comes from children. That's not fair. Fair, right?
This cry for fairness by a child on the playground demonstrates that there is an innate sense for the desire for rightness that all humans possess. And so it's not only from children that we hear this cry for fairness. Let me give you a couple of examples in our culture. News cable companies claim to be, quote, Fair and balanced. Right?
We hear politicians calling for a society based on justice. Based on equality, based on fairness, end quote.
So from the child's protest on the playground, to news cable network slogans To the politician's slick marketing campaign, all these illustrate in our culture. How pervasive is the desire in humans For a just approach to life. For Christians, how we respond to questions of injustice and lack of fairness is not only a test of our human relationships. But it's also a test of our relationship to God. And here's why: because when Christians suffer, they are sometimes tempted to question the justice of God in the face of great injustice.
Let me give you an example, just one example. There are thousands that have bound, but here's one for us. On October the 9th, 2011, Coptic Christians gathered in Cairo, Egypt, to protest the destruction of one of their churches. And tragically, this gathering took a deadly turn and resulted in the killing of 24 innocent people and the wounding of over 200 others.
So in response to this horrific unjust event, One of the protesters was interviewed by the media, and I want you to listen to his interview. He said, quote, every time there is an incident, A church burned or attacked, nothing happens about it. No one is charged, no one is arrested, and this was bothering my father because he thought it was not. Fair. He believes some people had to pay for what they had done to the churches and to the Christians in Egypt.
Listen carefully. To this person who was experiencing persecution. Listen carefully. Nothing happens. It was not fair.
Some people had to pay for what they have done.
So often in this life, it doesn't seem right and fair that a just God can allow his people to suffer so much injustice. In Psalm 73, the psalmist is lamenting over the prosperity of the wicked. He's lamenting over their prosperity to such a great degree that he confesses, and at the beginning of the psalm, that his feet had nearly slipped. He had just about said, just give up. It appears that no punishment, no justice awaits evildoers, he laments, and that there's no reward for the righteous.
And so, consequently, throughout the church's history, there's been this longing, this innate desire. In God's people, for the judge of all the earth to come set aright the enormous injustices that now prevail in our world. Paul had such questions in mind as he wrote to the Thessalonians. He wrote 1st and 2 Thessalonians to a church plant that was filled with young believers who were facing persecution for their faith. In fact, we learned last week from 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 6, that from the very beginning of their initial acceptance of the gospel, they immediately began to be persecuted and face afflictions and unjust actions towards them for their faith.
And so consequently, because of this persecution, some of these Thessalonian believers were troubled with questions: listen, over the justice of God. They were struggling in their mind over the justness, the righteousness of God.
Now, as I told you last week in chapter 2, Paul shows us that false teachers had come into the church and they were telling these young believers that the day of the Lord had come.
So many of these young believers were in trouble thinking the day of the Lord had already come. And because their experience of persecution was occurring, it contradicted the fact that Jesus had already come.
So, some of them were troubled with this. If Christ has come, why are we still suffering? If Christ has come, how can a just God still allow his people to suffer injustice and unjust persecutions and afflictions? Every time there's an incident, nothing happens about it. No one is charged, no one is arrested, this is not fair.
If God is just, how can He allow us here in Thessalonica to continue suffering this type of injustice?
Someone has to pay for this. And so these Thessalonians began to question the justice of God because the persecution of God's people should not continue if the Lord had come back. And so Paul in chapter 1, verses 5 through 10, writes to these young persecuted believers in the faith. He writes to them to remove any question of doubt concerning the justice of God. He writes, as I said, to comfort them.
And sure, you're going to see this morning that Paul answers the question: does God deal justly with those who are afflicted and with those who afflict? And his answer is absolutely yes, he does. Verses 3 to 10 in chapter 1 is one long, uninterrupted sentence. And in this very complex sentence, Paul is arguing that God is just in the face of believers' suffering. And specifically what you're going to see this morning in chapter 1, verses 5 through 10, is that Paul reveals that Jesus' second coming results in two very different just outcomes.
Jesus' second coming results in two very different, just outcomes. Namely, the first outcome is retribution or vengeance for those who persecute the church, and it is relief or vindication for those who are persecuted. And even though such knowledge would not immediately lessen the Thessalonians' present suffering, and even though such knowledge may not lessen your current suffering here today, Such knowledge is intended to comfort these young, suffering believers and do comfort to us. By reassuring us. That God is just.
That the ultimate outcome at the end of history is the justice of God given both to persecutors as well as those who are persecuted. And so we'll begin by looking at the first outcome of Christ's second coming for persecuting unbelievers. Let's read verses 6 and 8 through 10. Look at verse 6 again. Paul says, God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.
Look at verse 8.
Well, at the end of verse 7, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, that's his second coming. He's revealed in flaming fire. Look, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction. Away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might when He comes on that day.
That day is the second coming of Christ. And the second coming of Jesus is the culmination of redemptive history. It brings to consummation all of God's saving purposes throughout the history of the world. And so we're mindful that here in our church that we confess the words of the Nicene Creed, we believe that Christ, quote, will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And so it will be, Paul says on this day, that no lingering doubts will remain concerning the justice of God and how God has dealt with mankind.
Now, it's a very significant feature that I want you to keep in mind as we go through this passage this morning. I want you to note how Paul understands Jesus' return. Paul understands the second coming of Jesus to be a fulfillment of Old Testament judgment texts where the Old Testament speaks of Yahweh the Lord as the one who comes to carry out judgment on people. 1 and 2 Thessalonians, as I told you, were the earliest of Paul's letters along with Galatians. And so it gives us insight to see how the early church, the first century church represented by Paul, understood that the risen ascended Jesus, who is returning, is Yahweh of the Old Testament.
In verses five and six, look what Paul says. He speaks of God's judgment. Twice. Then in verses 7 through 10, look what Paul does. He says it is Christ himself who will carry out God's judgment.
This is consistent with what Jesus taught us in the Gospels in John chapter 5, verses 20 and 27. Jesus says, For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son. The Father has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of Man. That is the allusion to Daniel 7, where Daniel sees the conquering Son of Man, God, coming to crush the kingdoms of this world. That's Jesus.
And so Paul is arguing in this letter that when Christ returns, it is God, it is Yahweh who is returning to bring judgment, and he brings with him a great reversal. For unbelievers, Christ's second coming will be Yahweh, Jesus, and it will be a day of judgment. Paul has in mind, in the back of his mind, several Old Testament texts. One of the Old Testament texts that he has in the back of his mind as he writes on the second coming of Christ in relationship to unbelievers. is Isaiah chapter 2.
In Isaiah chapter 2, Isaiah says that on the day of the Lord, quote, people. Shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground from before the terror of the Lord and from the glory of his majesty when he rises to terrify the earth. The day when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, Paul says, is a day full of terror for those who afflict God's people. The prophet Zephaniah describes the day of the Lord as the day when Yahweh judges his enemies. I want you to listen to chapter 1, verses 14, 15, and 18, which are all applied to Jesus here.
When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, he will fulfill and consummate Zephaniah's prophecy. And Zephaniah says, the great day of the Lord Yahweh is near. Near and hastening fast, the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter. The mighty man cries aloud there. It is a day of wrath.
A day of distress, a day of anguish, a day of ruin, a day of devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. and the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed, for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. It's what Paul is writing here.
So let's see what Paul is describing about Christ's second coming. The whole emphasis that Paul gives here. Is on the retributive justice of God. It is payback time. And so look how Paul describes Jesus.
And his retributive justice on those who persecute the church. Look at verse 6. God considers it just to repay. That's retributive justice, payday. Payback time.
To repay with affliction those who afflict you.
So notice in verse 4 the word afflictions. Verse 6, afflictions curse twice. Verse 7, it occurs again. Paul says that the second coming of Christ will come as an unexpected and frightening turn of events for those who persecute God's people. He argues that it belongs to the just nature of God.
God considers it just because he is just. to pay back with affliction Those who afflict In verse 6, and to give relief. To those who are afflicted. We'll come back to that. But the great truth that Paul is underscoring for us is this.
Is that when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in his second coming? he will consider it just to pay back. Because God is just, Paul says he will set aright all of the injustices. Against his people. Because God is just, He considers it just to repay evildoers exactly what they have cashed in on.
Bible teachers again point out that Paul has in mind here Isaiah chapter 66. fulfilling this passage, specifically verses 4 through 6. Because in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, This passage in Isaiah uses the verb pay back three times in reference to Yahweh. And it says that Yahweh will come, quote, listen, rendering recompense to his enemies. And so again, Paul is telling us that Jesus is Yahweh revealed in his second coming, rendering just recompense on those who persecute his church.
This second coming of Jesus is God himself coming in judgment. It will be payback time. It will be payday. It will be a just retribution. And so Paul is comforting, he's assuring these suffering believers that their persecutors will reap exactly what they have sown.
Why is it important for us to remember this and to understand this, and how does it give us comfort? Here's why. The great temptation that we face when we suffer unjustly is to want to strike back. One of the great temptations you face as a pastor is when you get unjustly represented in public about your church. Speaking from experience.
And you want to get back because you know it's not true. It's important to remember that when we suffer unjustly, we don't want to strike back. Because we're not just We want to make those who afflict us pay. We're like the Christian protesting in Egypt. Every time there's an incident, a church burned or attacked, nothing happens about it.
No one is charged. No one is arrested. This is not fair.
Someone has to pay for what they have done to the churches. And yet, it is not our duty to repay. Paul teaches, it is our duty and responsibility to faithfully endure. As the Thessalonians did, chapter 1, verse 4. It is to continue to entrust ourselves to the coming king.
who will be revealed from heaven as the just judge And who will render righteous retribution to all who have afflicted God's people? But we know that due to our fallen sinful nature, we don't always do this well, do we? But the good news, listen carefully, is that Jesus, in the face of great injustice, Did this for us. Listen to 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 23. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.
When he suffered, he did not threaten. But continued entrusting himself to him who judges. Justly, that's our salvation. And so because of this, the Apostle Paul exhorts in Romans chapter 12, verse 19 as he quotes Deuteronomy 32, 35, which is what Paul has in mind here, too. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.
And so the Apostle Paul assures the Thessalonians that God is just and that He will pay back their evildoers exactly. what they deserve.
So leave vengeance to God.
So look at verse 8. Notice that Jesus' payback consists of this vengeance. Jesus, when he returns, will inflict vengeance. That is, when he returns, he will mete out. Justice On those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
For those who persecute the church, and for all unbelievers in general, Paul says Christ's second coming will be the worst day conceivable. Christ will be revealed from heaven as the Avenger. I really like the movie The Avengers, right? Uh If you are a regular listener to the Hymn We Proclaim podcast, we've got some exciting news. We're thrilled to invite you to the Reformation Conference happening in Jacksonville, Florida from January 17 to 19, 2025.
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That's conference.paramountchurch.com. Early bird registration is open until October 31st. This is a chance you won't want to miss. This is the ultimate Avenger right here. Jesus will inflict Perfect justice.
punishment on those who persecute the church. On all unbelievers in general, those who do not know God, those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, will receive perfect justice. Paul says on this day he will vindicate the persecuted from the wrongs done to them. This retributive justice, this perfect meeting out of justice, this vindication of God's people in the face of injustice. are prerogatives that belong only to God.
We know this from Deuteronomy 32, verses 35 and 36, where Yahweh, the Lord Himself, says of Himself, listen. Vengeance is mine and recompense For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. Paul says Jesus is the one who can execute this vengeance and who can execute this recompense and who can vindicate his people. He's Yahweh of the Old Testament. This is God Jesus coming in judgment.
Look at verse 9. In verse 9, Paul spells out further what the Lord's just repayment with affliction and his vengeance, his meeting down of justice, entails. He says, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, verse 9, those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, verse 9, these will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. This just penalty administered by Christ on all the church's enemies, Paul says, is the punishment of eternal. Destruction.
This punishment of eternal destruction, it doesn't mean complete dissolution of existence. The doctrine of annihilation. I love John Stodd, but unfortunately, at the end of his life, he taught the doctrine of annihilation. I actually had a three-hour lunch with him one time to discuss this doctrine with him. Tried to change his mind, but didn't work.
But this doctrine of annihilation, when I was speaking in Dublin, this lady came up to me in tears and. I said, how can I help you? And she says, I'm just struggling. I can't reconcile that God would ever. Eternally punish someone.
And I'm struggling with this doctrine. Can you help me? The punishment of eternal destruction is not something that we take Okay. Joy in, pleasure in. But it refers to the absolute loss and ruin It refers to the eternal loss of that which is truly worthwhile and meaningful.
What is worthwhile and truly meaningful, Paul tells us in our text here: it is exclusion from the glorious and majestic presence of the Lord. Back in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul says that the hope of the gospel, verse 17, is to be forever with the Lord. He says it is to share in his glory, 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 12. The hope of the gospel is to be God's people in God's place under God's rule and blessing. And so for Paul, the greatest punishment that a person can receive is to be cut off from this privilege forever.
In other words, when Christ returns, All unbelievers will be left east of Eden. They will not, as you'll see in a moment, come into the kingdom of God, which is not only Eden restored, it is Eden glorified. These unbelievers, those who persecute and afflict God's people, will be eternally banned from the glorious presence and blessing of his kingdom. Says this fate is justly meted out. On those who do not know God.
and who do not obey through faith the gospel of our Lord Jesus. I realized that the idea of eternal punishment is a hard truth and it's an unpopular truth, and you don't have to yell at and scream it like the country preachers to make the point, right? It's a biblical truth. And the Apostle Paul says, The Lord Jesus, when he is revealed from heaven, justly repays all evildoers with a punishment that is commensurate with their crime. He deals out perfect justice.
His judgment, Paul says, is never unfair. It is never arbitrary. It is never an unrestrained passion of revenge. His judgment is always in accord with his just nature. And because he is just, Paul says, he repays evildoers exactly.
what they deserve.
And so Paul answers the objection, God is not fair. He's comforting that child's mind on the playground. None of God's enemies will receive injustice. If we cried out for justice from God, we would all receive the just condemnation that we deserve. Justice is what we deserve.
And so, how interesting is it that when people often ask what would Jesus do, the terror of his final judgment is never mentioned? Yet, listen to the language that Paul uses here to speak of that day when the Lord Jesus, who is Yahweh, is revealed from heaven. Listen to his language. Jesus. will repay with affliction.
Jesus will inflict vengeance. He will mete out perfect justice. Jesus will dispense the punishment of eternal destruction. When Jesus returns as a just judge, He'll give all of the enemies of the church exactly what they deserve. He will dispense perfect justice.
It won't be Justice Janine on Fox News channel. It will be Justice Jesus, and it will be perfect.
So Paul, listen carefully. He's trying to comfort those who are suffering. He's giving a reassuring word of comfort to those who are struggling with questions over the justice of God. To those who are suffering unjustly for their faith, take comfort in knowing that Jesus, the righteous judge, will bring a just retribution to those who persecute his people. And so, even though the church's enemies might oppress God's people for a time, in the end, the outcome of the oppressors and the oppressed are dramatically reversed when the king is revealed from heaven.
That's Paul's first point. But here's the second outcome of Christ's second coming.
So let's get this some good news, right? Let's get all these black clouds now. Look at the second result of Jesus' coming. Christ's second coming results in rest for persecuted believers. It results in retribution for those who persecute, but it results in rest.
for the persecuted. Let's read verses 5, 7, and 10. Paul says, This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are also suffering. Verse 7. He says, When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, he will grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us.
Look at verse 10. When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. Notice how Paul describes Christ's second coming for his people who are persecuted here. There's a great reversal. Right?
We go from gloom and noom to brilliant, happy sunshine forever. I like that. There's a great reversal. The world's unrighteous verdict declared against God's people is reversed in their favor when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, Paul says, in flaming fire. And so consequently, whereas the outcome for those who afflict is just retribution, the outcome for the afflicted is granted rest.
I want to talk to you about that rest. Look at how Paul describes this rest for us because it is amazing what he says. Look at verse 5. He says that God's people will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God. By kingdom of God, Paul is referring to the perfected kingdom.
He's referring to that time when the Lord returns and he consummates all the promises of the gospel in perfection, glorification, the consummated kingdom of God. And he says, Those who persecute the church will be judged as unworthy citizens of God's kingdom, but those who are persecuted will be judged by God. And a righteous judgment that would be considered, that would be judged worthy of entering God's perfected kingdom.
Now let's be clear about this. Paul is not saying that they are considered worthy because of their suffering. Such a notion is foreign from salvation by grace alone and Christ alone. Anyone who enters the kingdom of God enters solely. on the merits of Christ's suffering.
That is his righteousness. He says this clearly in Matthew 5:20 on the Sermon on the Mount. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, You will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
So, what is Paul saying? He says, You are deemed worthy because of your suffering to be considered a part of God's kingdom. What does he mean by this?
Well, keep in mind Paul's pastoral concern. Remember, always remember the context. Paul's concern is to help suffering believers. Have a better understanding of the justice of God in relationship to the nature and purpose of their suffering.
So he's trying to comfort them. And so he's comforting by assuring them that their endurance and suffering, chapter 1, verse 4. Their endurance and suffering for the kingdom of God, this is evidence. That you belong to the kingdom of God. In other words, He's assuring these young, suffering believers of what will be the end result of all their endurance in the midst of all their persecutions and afflictions when Jesus returns as the just judge.
Jesus will render a righteous judgment on their behalf. They will be considered, Paul says. That word considered means judged. They will be judged worthy of the kingdom of God. What is Paul saying?
This is the doctrine of vindication. Jesus, Paul says to these suffering believers, will vindicate his people. At Christ's return, the promise of Deuteronomy 32, 36 will be brought to full consummation. For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. Perseverance, endurance in the face of suffering, Paul says, is the evidence.
This is evidence. This is proof. This is fruit of faith in Christ. And the great hope that all suffering believers have who are justified freely by grace through faith in Christ alone now is that the outcome of their endurance and suffering. is vindication.
Now, does that not encourage you to keep going on in the midst of hardship and trouble? Knowing that the outcome is eventually vindication, not condemnation. This good news that we are justified now and shall be vindicated when Christ returns comforts us. Paul says it like this in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 9. For God has not destined us for wrath.
But to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. And so knowledge of this good news provides comfort in our suffering, encouragement, and motivation to continue to persevere through hard times. This is how one Bible teacher puts it. Troubles litter the pathway leading to the kingdom. But here's what I add to it.
Yet at the same time, believers can look ahead to the future and not lose heart knowing that their suffering is not in vain because the troubles are the pathway that also lead to vindication. Paul reassures the Thessalonian believers, these young. newly planted believers in the faith. And he assures us that the Lord himself will reward his people with a glorious future and the consummation of his kingdom. Look at verse 7.
In verse 7, Paul says that this kingdom of God will consist of rest. Look at that. Look at verse 7. He will grant relief. That word relief literally means relaxation.
It's the ultimate spa treatment. Relaxation, relief from things that burden and trouble you. And in this context, it is persecutions and afflictions. When Christ returns, the good news, the hope of the gospel is that God's people will enter a kingdom which is free, Paul says, from all injustice. God is just.
The righteous judgment of God, He will give perfect justice in this kingdom. It will be a kingdom Characterized by rest, which in this context means characterized by a lack of injustice, but perfect justice. It will be a kingdom free from oppression, free from persecution, free from affliction, free from trouble. It will be a kingdom of perfect rest. In his book, God's Big Picture, Von Roberts.
Makes a great observation. He observes how throughout the course of history many have desired for a utopian society. He says the Marxists dreamed of ushering in a utopian society by abolishing capitalism and greed. Secular humanists thought that the answer was to eliminate ignorance and poverty. Revolutionaries have placed their hope in the downfall of a government.
Yet, all of these attempts by men at creating the perfect utopian society have all failed to produce lasting change. Since the fall of man, society, this perfect rest has remained elusive. But in contrast to all of man's failed attempts, Paul says, on that day, When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, He will usher in a kingdom of perfect rest. A home of righteousness for God's people. God's perfected kingdom will be a just society, free of all injustice, persecution, and affliction.
And the promise of the Lord's anointed crushing his enemies from Psalm 2:9 will be consummated, where the psalmist says, You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. And so when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, Paul says he will abolish all moral evil. He will root out every last trace of injustice and affliction there is. In Isaiah chapter 32, verse 1, Isaiah foresees the triumphant reign of Jesus the Messiah. And he says, quote, behold, a king will reign.
and righteousness. and princes will rule. Jesus will bring rest to every corner of his kingdom.
So a truly just society A society which philosophers for centuries and centuries have. argued over and sought for, politicians have Fought for, revolutionaries have fought for, but they've all failed to produce. In an instant, when he is revealed, it will become a reality. And Paul says, finally, look at verse 10, on this day. Jesus would be glorified in his saints and marveled at among all who have believed.
This is really the main point of verses 3 to 10. is verse 10. Look at verse 10. When he comes on that day to be glorified. In his saints, and to be marveled at among all who believe.
That's really the main point Paul's getting at. This is the goal toward which the gospel in all of redemptive history is moving. And again, the Old Testament background that Paul has in mind is Jesus' fulfillment of Isaiah 2 and Isaiah chapter 66. Why is it those two chapters? It's probably in Paul's mind.
Here's why. Because in those passages in Isaiah, Isaiah is portraying the Lord's future judgment on those who do not seek the glory of God. But trust in idols In contrast to God's people who desire and seek His glory. And so in Isaiah chapter 2, verses 11 and 17, Isaiah says, In that day, on the day of the Lord, Jesus' second coming, on that day, the Lord alone will be exalted. In Isaiah chapter 2, verses 10, 19, and 21, Isaiah speaks of unbelievers as hiding from, quote, the glory of his majesty.
And so Paul says that those who do not obey God and obey his gospel will be hiding from the glory of his majesty. But in contrast, believers will glorify God and God will glorify himself in them because Paul says they have believed the apostles' testimony. That is the gospel concerning Jesus.
So, the revelation of the Lord's glory and his second coming, where it instills terror in his enemies, it provokes, Paul, look at what Paul says: it provokes marvel, it provokes adoration. God's people will marvel. at the returning Lord. And he will be glorified.
So those who have suffered patiently for Jesus and all who believe the gospel will gaze upon Jesus with admiring wonder and his glory will far surpass anything we could have ever imagined and leave everybody struck with wonder and joyful awe.
So Christians have been on the receiving end of For 20 centuries or so, right? The passing generations have all wondered Why has God allowed the wicked to get away with their oppression? But now at last the settling of accounts will take place. Jesus, when he's returned, when he's revealed from heaven. will bring affliction to those who have troubled believers.
He will pay them back. and he will pay them back in full. And believers will see an end to their trials, and they will experience a just society. And all of their suffering will be over, and they will be able to rest. and be at peace.
So does the Christian life same As an unequal struggle against unremitting odds, right? I bet you, if you could talk to Syrian believers who are being persecuted day in and day out in Syria right now, they would say that probably feels like that. But Paul says, cheer up, because Jesus is coming to the rescue. The Avenger is coming. He's coming to bring a righteous judgment.
A righteous judgment of retribution to unbelievers, and a righteous judgment of vindication to his people. And so as we reflect this morning on the two different outcomes of Christ's second coming, we can take comfort in knowing that all the promises of the kingdom of God, Paul says, will be fully consummated when Jesus returns. And he says, It is on this day that God's people will be united in a perfectly just society where righteousness reigns and everyone submits with joy. to the righteous rule of the king. All will live in perfect rest, and Habakkuk 2:14 will find its ultimate consummation.
The earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Why? Because John says the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever. Endeavour. Amen.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you. For the hope of the gospel. And we thank you that. Even though we experience injustice in this life, there is a day coming.
There is a day coming when the perfect Avenger. Christ himself is revealed from heaven. and will make all things right. Help us to take comfort in the hope of the gospel this morning. And look by faith.
Since what we see by sight seems to contradict all that We say we believe about your justice. And help us to look expectantly as we endure hardships, expectantly for. Our Lord Jesus, when He is revealed from heaven, when He will bring about just retribution. And thankfully for us, a gracious vindication. And then all of this.
will be glorified through it. Give us faith to hold on to the hope of the gospel. We pray this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. John Fawnville sends his thanks for listening today.
And before you hit the next episode, can I tell you about an encouraging book you might want to get soon? It's called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity. You're not alone if you've tried to conquer sexual temptations and tried all the methods available, only to find yourself feeling defeated again. This book may be just what you're looking for. In His Shepherding Heart, John shows that the gospel, not practical steps or more self-discipline, is God's provision for the power to live a life of sexual purity.
and it's available to every Christian. What I like is the book is available in three convenient ways, paperback, audiobook, or Kindle. Please look for the links that I put in the description and get a copy today. Does anyone come to mind who may like this episode? Please share with them and listen again to the Him We Proclaim podcast.
