The God of Judgment

“Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” (Mal. 2:17). “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isa. 30:8-10). There you have it; one of the biggest problems that has bedeviled God’s people throughout history, and it’s for sure that today is no exception. I know it through my thirty years of preaching this Gospel; people love to hear everything about promises, mercy, and hope; and simply turn a deaf ear to reproof, rebuke, and warning. That is a very serious and deadly spiritual disease my friend, and it is one that you want to flee as though it is EXACTLY that. As Malachi said, many of God’s people believe that those who are doing evil deceitfully in the sight of God are ‘saved,’ and scorn the idea of God judging sin among his people. People love to hear about the love of God, and hate to hear about the fear of God at the same time. If you think that you are a proponent of God’s love, but shy away from the concept of his fear, and call it something else; you do not have a clue as to what the love of God is. The truth is that both of these elements are equally as big in the scriptures, and in reality they are inseparable. If you have one without the other, you actually have the wrong ‘one’ that you think you have. People love to hear about “going to heaven,” though in reality nobody actually goes there. The righteous dead are actually in paradise which is across a great divide from the flames of hell in the heart of the earth (Lk. 16:22-26). Nonetheless, everyone wants to hear about going to the right place, but if you start preaching about hell you are nothing but a hardened, ranting and raving “hell fire and brimstone” preacher with no love. I have told people who who have come to my home worship and Bible study that they should consider themselves fortunate to have the opportunity to go somewhere that they could hear about dying and going to hell for disobedience against God. Someone should read the Bible a little more, and see that Jesus preached a HECK of a lot about hell fire (Lk. 12:4,5; Mk. 9:47,48; Mat. 5:22; Mat. 23;23; etc.).

There is in fact only one reason that people do not like hearing about “the God of judgment,” and that is because they do not want to part with some sin or sins. It is truly that simple. Nothing hard, just easy math. It is the wicked who do not want to hear about judgment, chastening, rebuke, hell, and the like; because it is the wicked who have good reason to be afraid of, and offended by any and all of the above. In fact the wicked are afraid of just about everything, including their own shadow: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Prov. 28:1). Also let’s not forget this unforgettable quote: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Tim. 1:7). So what is gained by being afraid of truth regarding judgment, reproof, chastening, hell, etc.? Well, ironically it is precisely the following: “The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him” (Prov. 10:24). That is exactly right my friend; the judgment, the chastening, and the hell fire that the wicked has no heart to hear about, is in fact what he will inherit for his fear of it. Anyone who loves the Spirit of God will love to hear about EVERYTHING that “the Spirit says unto [God’s people]” (Rev. 2:7). As Isaiah noted in the beginning of this article, the wicked among God’s people only want to have “smooth things” preached unto them. The new testament writers and apostles said exactly the same thing: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; REPROVE, REBUKE, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (II Tim. 4:2-4). And what is the reward for those who preach the smooth things that people love to hear? “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (II Pet. 2:3). Just one more quote for good measure: “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom. 16:18). How about you friend? So do you, as I do, absolutely love the real truth, regardless of what format it comes in? Amen.