Hope for the End Times Series
Do We Live in a Just Universe?
II Thessalonians 1:3-12
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When people suffer, they ask questions that they normally would not ask. When people have a hard time and difficulties and tragedies occur, one of the questions they are asking, whether they realize it or not is, “Do we live in a just universe?” “Why do others who don’t serve the Lord seem to never have problems and you do?” It is the age-old question of fairness. “This just seems so unfair; What have I done to deserve this?” Those kinds of questions are aimed at the issue of justice.
The question is not is there injustice in the universe because we know there is. All we have to do is travel 100 miles north and visit the site of the OKC bombing where 168 men and women, boys and girls were killed and we find glaring proof of the injustice
in the world.
All you have to do is visit the Holocaust Museum in Israel and be reminded that 6 million Jews were slaughtered by the insane Adolph Hitler and you know that there is injustice in the world. Go to NYC and see where Muslim terrorists attacked America in the name of their God and took the lives of 3,000 and you discover there is no question about injustice in the world.
And it raises a theological question as well. Where is God when those things happen? Didn’t he design this world? Is there no justice?
That’s a good question: Do we live in a just universe or not?
The Christian faith declares that we do live in a just universe. The Bible teaches that God is a just God and that He does justice. In the book of Genesis we are told, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" In the book of The Revelation 15:3 it says,
"Just and true are all thy ways, O Lord." So, we believe that God is a just God; that He is a loving God and that He is a God who will do that which is right and that which is just.
Justice means that the good will be rewarded and that the evil will be punished. That means there is going to be some time of final judgment. There will be some time in the future when all the inequities in the universe will be resolved and justice will prevail
That position finds a lot of opposition in today’s world. One of the primary differences between many false religions and Christianity is their views concerning history and the future.
Many would have us to believe that history moves in cycles or in circles. Everything is just a circle. It is cyclical in nature. That's the teaching of reincarnation. You just get recycled, kind of like a plastic bottle. You just get cycled over and over again.
But the Christian faith teaches that history is moving in a forward direction. We believe that there is going to be a final destination. There is going to be a final resolution. That gives us a future! And in relation to that, we believe that there is going to be a time when justice will prevail in the universe.
And that is something that is easy to lose focus of when you are going through a difficult time.
Now we began a study last week of 2 Thessalonians and we found Paul writing to them to answer some of their questions and straighten out some bad theology and lies that were being spread.
One of the things we discovered last week is they were losing hope. Most of them were young converts and they were going through a tough time. They were experiencing suffering and persecution because of their faith.
In fact, its one of the first things Paul mentions in the letter. You find it there in verse 4.
But notice what he says in verse 5. He says these persecutions are “manifest evidence” of the righteousness of God. That doesn’t make much sense until you break it down and understand what Pau is saying.
It seems as though he is saying, “You’re persecutions are because God is judging you.” That’s not what it says.
He is saying, “You’re persecutions are proof positive of the righteous judgment of God.
And what Paul is saying is “Just sit tight because justice is on the way!” He was so certain of God’s righteousness and that He has designed and exercise justice that he considered their persecutions proof of the justice of God.
Listen: Ain’t nobody getting’ by with nuthin! That’s what he’s saying.
We believe that we live in a just universe and even though we suffer we believe that there is a God who is just and a God who is going to bring it all to a righteous resolution. So, his concern is they know and understand the justice of God.
There are several truths I want to lay on your heart about it today. This passage is a very solemn passage of Scripture, and yet at the same time it’s a very exciting, thrilling passages with a wonderful encouraging truth to share.
Notice there are some words and phrases in these verses that people today really don't want to hear.
You see that phrases like “the righteous judgment of God” and “repay with tribulation”.
You see “flaming fire taking vengeance” and “punished with everlasting destruction”.
People today don't like those negative words. You might offend someone. They might get upset and no t sleep well. They want you to be positive. Listen: Paul is being posiive! That’s what he’s saying to these persecuted saints, “Hang in there because I’m positive God is going to deal with your enemies.
You can't have it both ways. If you want to have a just universe you have to have words like this. It's kind of like living in a city. Do you want to live in a city that is based on justice or a city based on injustice?
If you want to live in a city that is based upon justice where the good is rewarded and where the evil is punished then there are some negative words that you have to accept. You have to accept the word, law. The word, stop sign. The word, fine. The word, ticket. The word, court. The word, jail. The word, death penalty.
If you want to live in a just society there are some negative words you have to accept. The same thing is true in the universe. If you want to live in a universe where there is a just God who does justice, then you have to be prepared to accept the negative things that are spoken in these verses of Scripture.
God is a just God and what kind of God is He who would not punish that which was wrong. Who would not deal with that which is unjust.
So let’s talk about the justice of God for a while in verse 5 and 6.
First of all, let's think about -
I. The Truth of God's Justice
There are two applications given here. Verse 5 deals with God’s justice as it applies to believers and verse 6 as it applies to unbelievers.
He says in verse 5 that the fact that believers are suffering is an evidence of the righteous judgment of God. He is saying that even the suffering that God's people experience is a part of the total process of the justice of God.
God is even able to take the difficult times and the injustices that we experience and bring them to the point of being a positive impact in our lives. He says that the sufferings that come are making us worthy or are counting us worthy of the kingdom of God. It is a part of the process. It is a part of the purpose that God is working out in our lives.
I suppose the clearest example of this in all of the
Scripture is the example of Job. Here was Job a righteous man and yet Job experienced injustices.
Some people said that Job was a sinner because of the trouble he was going through. God said there was no man like him on all of the earth. God said he was a righteous man.
The injustices and the suffering and tragedy that Job experienced was a part of the process that God was using to make him what God wanted him to be. When you and I are going through the tragedies that inevitably come into our lives, we must always rest in the fact that beyond the present tragedies and sufferings there is a just God who is at work in our lives and who has a positive plan and purpose for it all eventually.
There are sometimes when Christians go through experiences where they cannot maintain their sanity any other way but to believe that beyond it all God has a purpose.
In Psalm 27:13 it says, "I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." He is saying I've been going through some tough times.
I've been experiencing some of the injustices in the world and the Psalmist says I couldn't have made it unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord. He is saying I couldn't have made it unless I believe that beyond it all there was a God who is just who would ultimately bring justice to bear in my life. Keep that passage in mind. We'll come back to it later.
The truth of God's justice for believers is that even in the process of suffering God is using those sufferings that we might be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. He's getting us ready for something in the future.
Then, in regard to unbelievers, notice verse 6
God says those who have done evil , he will “repay with tribulation”.
God is going to pay back those who have inflicted injustices on others. If you want to live in a moral universe you have to believe in a God who punishes sin. You have to believe in a God who will render that which is due for those who have sinned.
It's kind of like a doctor. What kind of doctor would it be if you went to the doctor and he examined you and he found that you had cancer and yet he said to you, "I have found cancer, but I love you so much I don't want to operate on you because it would inflict pain on you."
I have a feeling that probably you would find another doctor. If you have cancer you want a doctor who will cut it out whether there is any pain there or not.
The same thing is true about God. God is a loving God, but God is also a holy God. So, God is a God who must deal with sin which is the most disturbing element in the universe. A genuine doctor who loves health will hate disease. A loving holy God will hate sin which causes misery and heartache to the sinner.
So, he says in verse 6 that God is a righteous God and it is only just that God deal with sin in His universe. He sets forth first of all the truth of God's justice.
Now most of the time, that is not the core of our argument. Very few believers question that God is just and that eventually He will bring judgment.
They are more upset because it’s not happening “right now”!
So the big question that comes in this whole matter of the justice of God is the matter of
II. The Timing of God's Justice.
verse 7
We know that God is a just God and yet we see injustice in the universe. 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. In Psalm 13 the psalmist several times in that chapter says "how long, o Lord?"
They are raising the question - God when are you going to deal with this situation?
In the book of the Revelation, the 6th chapter, we we are told about those martyred for the faith, and they are crying, verse 10, "How long, o Lord, holy and true, doest thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
There is the question of timing. How long? When is your judgment going to take place? When will justice prevail?
The answer to that is in II Thessalonians 1:7
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 means to uncover that which has been hidden from view. 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 aspects that need to be kept in mind, and if you get them twisted or perverted or misunderstood, you’ll loe the truth of what the Bible teaches us.
The first aspect is the rapture. Now even thought the word “rapture” is not used in the Bible, the truth of the rapture is very clear. Look back to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. Here we find a description of the rapture; that time when the Lord Jesus will come in the air for His saints. The Lord will descend from heaven and those who are saved will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. That's the rapture. He comes in the air for His saints.
The other aspect is pillar is the word, revelation, which describes the second coming of Jesus Christ to this earth with his saints. It will be that climatic event. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is when the revelation of Jesus occurs to those who are alive on the earth. And the Bible is teaching us that it is at this revelation when God will administer His justice fully and finally on this earth.
It's a graphic scene. He says the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. What a scene that's going to be. If you want to get a picture of that scene, read Matthew 24 and Revelation 19.
What an awesome day that will be. What a glorious time that's going to be when the Lord Jesus himself will return in His revelation with his mighty angels and in flaming fire.
And it is at that time, we are told, 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. 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?
Verse 8
Put those two things together. They don't know the ord. That means they aren't saved. Why are they not saved? Because they obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. The word, obey, there really is the idea of submitting to, or, to hear and submit; 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. It 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.
And he is saying here that those who have had an opportunity to receive Christ and do not receive Him as their Savior, the Bible says that one day vengeance will fall. It's pretty solemn passage of scripture. It is really God's description of the future judgment that awaits those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a sad picture.
Then notice verse 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. They are punished with everlasting destruction.
Then the next statement presents the tragedy of all 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.
It is being outside of "the presence of the Lord." Just as heaven is the presence of the Lord, hell is the absence of the Lord.
C. S. Lewis put it pretty good when he said, "Hell means that everybody will be infinitely separated from everybody else."
Infinite distance from everybody else including God. 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 -- from the presence of the Lord. It's a sad picture. Don't go to hell. Don't reject the Lord Jesus as your Savior. To be in hell is to be separated from God forever.
There used to live an old hell-fire- and brimstone evangelist named Jess Hendley. People would make
fun of him about it, but he said, "The reason I preach on hell is because I believe there is one and I don't want anybody to go there."
If I didn’t believe there was a hell, I wouldn’t waste your time talking about it. If I didn’t believe there was a hell, I wouldn’t challenge you to love people here and try to get you to share your faith. I know some misunderstood my comments last week to mean that I didn’t support what we do in Malawi. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
I just want it to happen here also. And the reason I feel so strongly about that is because there is a hell, and I don’t want anybody to go there! In fact, part of my motivation for what I said last week came from a conversation I had with Glenda May, and I want you to hear what we talked about, so I’ve asked her to share what God’s been doing in her life.
Glenda’s testimony
It’s rather sobering, isn’t it, to think about hell and our responsibility to share the love of Christ everywhere we go and with everyone we meet. They may not like it, they may no t want to hear it, but because there awaits destruction for the lost, we must be faithful. That’s a part of God’s justice.
Now, on the positive side, not only destruction for the lost, but there's glorification for the saved.
Verse 10
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. Don’t read by that too fast! He didn’t say, “with his saints or by his saints, but IN his saints”.
It's the picture of a filament, that little wire that you find in a light bulb. When an electric current goes through it, it glows and provides the light.
The Bible says that the Son of God is going to be glorified in God's saints. What a picture.
Then he says, "admired among all those who believe." Some paraphrase it this way; it will be a breathtaking wonder to all.
Have you ever thought about the fact that as a saved individual one of these days out there in eternity you are going to be a source of wonder and amazement to the whole universe?
People are going to look at you and gasp in wonder and glory in what Jesus Christ did in and through you. He's already at work on it in you and me.
Listen: He’s 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. That’s the beautiful timing of the Lord.
So we see the truth of God's justice, the timing of God's justice, and thirdly
III. The Thrill of God's Justice
Verses 11 and 12
Paul is praying for us that our future potential might begin to be realized even in the present.
Have you ever considered the awesome responsibility of representing God’s name?
That’s what verse 12 is all about
You and I are to live so that just as in eternity we are going to cause the whole world to praise God for what He's done in us, that people today would look at our lives and see how God is at work in our lives and they would praise the Lord Jesus Christ because of what He's doing in our lives right now.
Does anybody see Jesus at work in your life? Is anybody praising God because of what they see going on in your life?
Notice what he says: He's going to be glorified in you and you are going to be glorified in Him. We belong to Jesus. We're hooked up with Jesus. We're in the family of Jesus. We're in Him; He's in us.
Now there is a coupling in verse 12 that we find a lot of places in scripture. He talks about glory and grace.
Grace is how it all began. Glory is how it all ends. Grace is the bud. Glory is the flower.
The psalmist said, "the Lord will give grace and glory." Every person God saves by His amazing grace is destined one day to reflect His amazing glory. That's when the justice of God will be fully displayed.
So what is God saying to us through this section of Scripture? Here’s what: Even tough injustices may occur in this universe, this universe is a just universe. And in response to that, we find one instruction: Just wait.
Turn back to Psalm 27:13-14
You going through troubles? Sufferings? Tragedies in your life? Have you raised questions about the justice of God's universe? God says, "Wait."
The greatest injustice that ever occurred in the universe was the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. If there was ever an example of the righteous suffering unnecessarily, it would be the Lord Jesus Christ. There was no sin in Jesus. Nothing in Jesus Christ that called for the cross of Calvary. It was the most unjust act ever committed in the universe.
So what happened? They took Jesus off the cross, quickly prepared His body and placed it in the tomb, and God said, "Wait."
One day went by and God said, "Wait." Two days went by and God said, "just wait."
Three days and nights went by and up from the grave He arose. Listen: When God is in control, there may be injustices, but they are temporary. Justice is eternal.
So when it seems to you that life is so unfair, and full of injustice, just keep in mind that down the road if you'll wait there's a final scene and it is written and directed by God Himself.
Just wait, and keep on trusting.
Martha had lost her beloved brother, Lazarus. She rushed out to the Lord Jesus and said to Him, "Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died." Jesus said to her, "Martha, didn't I say unto you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" What was He saying? “Martha, everything’s going to be okay. Just wait on Me.”
When the tragedy has occurred and injustice seems to be on the throne, just keep on waiting. Just keep on believing. One of these days, we'll see the glory of God.
And dear lost friend, to you I say, “Don’t wait”. If you keep waiting, you will never see and experience the glory of God.
Come today while you mave the opportunity.
Let’s pray.
