O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth

2Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you


IT IS a righteous thing with GOD to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. Did that say - it is a righteous thing with YOU to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you? No, it did not. In fact read more...


2Th 1:7-10 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.


Recompense comes when?


When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.


Why isn't this enough for us? We feel as if we have this inbred, instinctive, primal need to retaliate. People will even quote the Bible saying- an eye for an eye, and they justify that thing inside them that wants someone to pay for the hurt they've caused us or caused a loved one, or even caused strangers. If we feel an injustice has been done we want justice. If we feel slighted we want to slight. If we've been wronged we want to wrong- all in the name of justice. And justice- meaning it was wrong what was done and it shouldn’t have been done but now that it's been done we want acknowledgment that it was wrong and that acknowledgment means the wrong doer at the very least acknowledges they were wrong. But all the seeking of what we believe justice to be only creates in us something dark. The darkness of revenge fills us, and even if it isn't active revenge, a passive revenge inside of us is just as poisonous as the most active seeking of vengeance.


There IS a passive desire for revenge. In fact we sometimes cloak it in a such a pretty coating of self-justification that we can hardly tell it's passive revenge at all. We aren't out there trying to hurt the one who hurt us, we aren't out there slandering the pain giver, we aren't desiring others to hurt them for us- we are simply living with a darkness inside us that won't go away. Satan wants us to hang onto all those little dark places within us because he loves to use them as it suits his purpose to have us take our eyes off our Savior and put them right back where he wants them- on ourselves.


People think it strange when someone actually, really does TURN the other cheek. They'll sometimes even applaud it, as long as it's on a small scale. With an active darkness in us that wants us to get revenge (active or passive) it's not easy to turn any cheeks.


We can see it so much in just our own lives let alone in the lives of others. We find ourselves snapping at someone when we know we shouldn't, and then we berated ourselves for not turning the other cheek which we want to be natural to us. We want so much to be as Jesus would have us to be. And we need to realize that it's a NEVER ending process. We are being REFINED. And anything worth something isn't refined easily.


Do we want revenge when we are betrayed by a friend?
Do we want revenge when we are lied to by a loved one?
Do we want revenge when we read about a child being beaten?
Do we want revenge when we hear on the news that a whole family was slaughter by a disgruntled relative?
Do we want revenge when we think about masked gunmen killing innocent teenagers in a school?
Do we want revenge when a mad man uses his money to arrange the murder of thousands?
Do we want revenge when our car is deliberately scratched?
Do we want revenge when an innocent animal is tortured?
Do we want revenge when someone we love leaves us?
Do we want revenge when… I'm sure you could fill in the blank over and over.


It's not that desiring justice is wrong, not at all. Vengeance has a time and place and is best left to the ONE who really knows the end from the beginning, the One who knows us all inside and out.


If we all sought revenge for ALL wrongs done to us, no one would be left alive.


Being the sinfilled, flesh-natured creatures that we are, constantly wronging each other (maybe not in big ways but often in tiny ways) we need to ask forgiveness when we wrong any one in even the smallest manner. We can't make others ask forgiveness when they wrong us- well, we can try but making someone ask for forgiveness negates the genuine repentance, the genuine sorrow for the wrong doing.


We as individuals need to understand that vengeance belongs to God and God alone and that darkness in us that Satan has twisted to become acceptable to the masses CANNOT be acceptable in us!


Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.


Psa 94:1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
Psa 94:2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
Psa 94:3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
Psa 94:4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
Psa 94:5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage.
Psa 94:6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
Psa 94:7 Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
Psa 94:8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
Psa 94:9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
Psa 94:10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
Psa 94:11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
Psa 94:12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
Psa 94:13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
Psa 94:14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
Psa 94:15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
Psa 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Psa 94:17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
Psa 94:18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
Psa 94:19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
Psa 94:20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
Psa 94:21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
Psa 94:22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
Psa 94:23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.


Nah 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
Nah 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nah 1:4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
Nah 1:5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
Nah 1:6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
Nah 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Nah 1:8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
Nah 1:9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.


Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.


There will come a day when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will return, of this there is NO doubt. Those who are His will be forgiven- our Savior having paid the price for us. Those who are not His won't be forgiven- our Savior having paid the price though not being accepted by them. All those who are not forgiven will pay for their own sins- they will fall into the hands of the living God and He will know exactly what the penalty for those sins will be. Make no mistake- God's vengeance will be JUST, there is no other way it could be. The unrepentant, unforgiven evil doers will not be able to escape and every bit of revenge another believed they should have if it is truly warranted it will be given. The evil are getting away with NOTHING when we don't exact our revenge upon them. What they will suffer will be exact justice unlike we could ever give them and then- eternal death - non-existence. So while Satan wants us to worry that people all over the world are not getting what they deserve, we by faith, know they will get everything they deserve. However, how much better would it be for them to repent and come to know and be known of our Lord and Savior?! If only that were possible! Satan is doing everything in his power to see that it isn't possible, in fact he's doing everything he can so well that all but God's very elect will be his.


Rather than let ourselves be consumed by the evil in the world- the tiniest evil or the greatest they- all have one single penalty- death; let us resolve to surrender all we are to our Savior. Let us welcome the Great Refiner's fire as we are purged of the evil within us- evil the world calls good and acceptable.

~~

Like a few other people lately - I'm disturbed by the recent government sanctioned murder, for a number of reasons and this study reflects that a bit. It disturbs me that so many are so very accepting of this out and out murder. I know I'm in the minority and in my heart there is nothing but sadness for the majority who are deceived by Satan into thinking murder is acceptable at a certain level, under certain conditions. I'm not talking about killing, I'm talking about murder- premeditated murder. This is the very commandment we have from God- Thou shalt not kill. He was talking about murder without a doubt. And as people around the world celebrate murder calling it justice it breaks my heart. There were NO clauses in the commandment- no, murder is acceptable if this or that condition is met. Murder is acceptable if it's a monster with money to promote monstrous acts. I can't find that in the Bible! Murder is okay if you're murdering a murderer. Nope, can't find that in the Bible either! Murder is okay if it's just going to cause a big political stink to keep the person alive. Search, you won't find that in the Bible, either! Justifying murder, what a horrifically sad day we've all been witness to.


May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ know us, forgive us, save us so that we may be in the kingdom of heaven with Him as He returns to take us there with Him. By His Grace, His righteousness, His love! May the eyes of the many be opened before it's too late, please Lord, open the eyes of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf! Thy will be done, Lord, Thy will!


Amen.