How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:29-31
There’s a common phrase used in our culture since about 2020 to warn easily “offended” people that they’ll be hearing information that goes against their delicate feels and sensibilities. I’m of the eye-rolling ilk on this topic but am going to use said phrase to start this particular Biblical message, because it’s a topic that Christians simply don’t like talking about. So, here you go: TRIGGER WARNING.
You know when you have one of those weeks (months, years), when there’s a certain providential point that seems to come across every other sermon, podcast, and devo you encounter…one which coincides with the Bible reading your doing? It’s like the Lord is saying, “Hellooooo! Do you get it yet?” Well, I’ve been digging into Revelation of late. And I’ve most recently been in chapters 5-16—stopping there, in fact, to write this. (You see where I’m going, don’t you?) I’ll jump right in then.
Judgment is coming. And for those who reject the Lord, the impending terror and eternal suffering is deserved. There, I said it. Despite the vital message of God’s love for everyone, His immense patience with us to turn from self-idolatry, and the fact that Jesus made a way of salvation for all who call on His name…despite all these amazing, grace-filled truths, there’s another truth: in the end, for the ones who vehemently hold fast to “I’m my own god” and stand firm on the lies of the enemy and this world system, God will take vengeance. Rejecting the free gift of mercy means there will be no mercy for them in the end (Hebrews 10:26-31; Deuteronomy 32:35; Revelation 15:5-7).
This is a terrifying prospect. And there are volumes that can (and must) be said about this message—and, of course, there is plenty of fodder for study from Genesis to Revelation. So here, I’ll focus on two points. First, believers don’t need to take revenge (Romans 12:19; Proverbs 20:22). That righteous anger that wells up in the face of global evils against the innocent? The anguish felt at the persecution and murder of believers around the world (which is greater now than in any other time in history)? The personal discrimination/mockery we experience at school or at work because of our faith (which is only going to grow from now on)? We can endure trusting that God’s got it. The perseverance of the saints comes from knowing (a) our salvation is sealed and we’re destined to be with the Lord forever (Revelation 13:10) and (b) God will take His vengeance—and their suffering will be great (Revelation 14:11-13).
Second, the prospect of unbelievers separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9) and tormented forever with fire (Revelation 14:10) must inflame us to share the Good News of Jesus. And it’s not just “their” impending doom that should motivate us. Yes, those who willfully reject the Holy, Living God and the finished work of Christ on their behalf deserve the horrifying judgment. But, friend, so do we! Our sin and self-idolatry placed us in the same exact category, slated for eternal suffering. We were dead, lost, blind—destined for hell. But we heard the Gospel! We learned that our separation from God was reconciled by the work of Jesus on the cross. His victory allows us to be free from condemnation (Romans 8:1). We accepted this amazing gift of grace, of the imputed righteousness (that is, we are given the righteousness of Christ). Instead of God’s vengeance, we get undeserved mercy. And it’s from this perspective—the fact that we were once on Team Doomed and now we’ve got victory in Jesus—we must go and tell. Let’s go share the Good News of our undeserved mercy and the bad news of the deserved, merciless judgment for rejecting Christ.
Lord, Your mercy is beyond comprehension. We all deserve Your judgment—but Jesus came to the rescue. May we share this Good News of hope with the dark and broken world around us.
encouraged by grace 