They will pay the penalty of “eternal destruction away from the Lord’s presence.” What greater judgment could there be than to be eternally and irrevocably separated from the presence of God? To live separated from His presence eternally will be the greatest judgment possible. But remember, it is a judgment that those who ignore and disobey Christ have chosen.

God is perfect. As such, He is perfect in every dimension. Perfect in love, grace, and truth. Perfect in kindness, goodness, and mercy. If He is not perfect in the slightest dimension, He is not perfect at all and therefore not God.

So, we must go farther to know Him fully. For He is also perfect in ways that require actions that, at first glance, seem a contradiction to His perfect character. The most recognizable of those is His justice.

We hate injustice, particularly if we are the recipient. “That’s not fair,” we cry when we are hurt, when innocent people are betrayed or wounded or persecuted. The worst things about our world are the injustices that come about as a result of man’s sins.

We will one day live, if we have believed in Christ, in a world that is perfectly righteous and just. It will be ruled by the King whose throne is established on righteousness and justice. But some removal of injustice must occur before that new world comes.

It Will Be Personal and Impartial

Paul reminds us—in no uncertain terms—that the justice of God is coming against all those who have ignored, disobeyed, and opposed Him in this life and particularly those who have persecuted His children. As Paul is commending the believers in Thessalonica for their “perseverance and faith in all (their) persecutions and afflictions that (they) are enduring, he comforts them with the reality of the justice that is coming.

It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, 6 since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us.

Read More