Justice for the Unjust
Rev. 16
One of the most startling recent statistics is the fact the prison population of the USA is now over 2 million people. A more controversial question though is, “why do we put people in prison?” Law enforcement, district attorneys, judges work hard to bring criminals to justice, but there is a big disagreement about what we hope to accomplish by sending criminals to jail.
Some people say the goal is to rehabilitate the criminal, to help them see the error of their ways, to educate them and prepare them to go back out into society as a law-abiding citizen.
Others say the goal is to punish the criminal, to make them pay for what they’ve done, to deter the inmate and other potential criminals from committing similar crimes.
Still others make the very valid point that putting dangerous criminals in prison keeps all of us on the outside safer.
All of these questions and opinions deal with the area of justice. When a person breaks the law, how should they be treated? How do you bring justice to the unjust?
This is an even more important issue on the higher level of the justice of God. God’s justice is perfect, and it is manifested through His judgment and wrath on the unjust of the world. But is God’s justice on the unjust intended to rehabilitate them, to punish them, or just to get rid of them? How does God bring justice to the unjust? I want to explore this question tonight as we look into Rev. 16, where John sees a vision of God’s wrath and justice.
Vs. 1 reminds us God instigates justice on the unjust. It is His voice calling out from the Temple in heaven, commanding the 7 angels introduced in Rev. 15 to pour out their bowls of His wrath. I want you to notice how in each case, the punishment fits the crime.
In vs. 2, the first bowl brings foul and loathsome sores= ugly, painful (NIV) sores. These sores are on the skin of only certain people—those who have the mark of the beast…The same skin that takes the mark is covered with malignant sores. They get what they deserve. The punishment fits the crime.
In vs. 3-7, the 2nd and 3rd bowls of wrath are poured out on the earth’s waters, with both the seas and rivers becoming blood, killing every animal in them. One of the angels who brings this judgment speaks declares in vs. 5-6 You are righteous, Eternal Lord. It is only fitting that those who spilled the blood of your saints and prophets now have only blood to drink themselves. Other voices chime in from the altar in heaven—the place where the souls of the saints who were killed for Christ- saying amen! Finally! They get what they deserve. The punishment fits the crime.
These first 3 bowls stress the fact that God’s wrath is not arbitrary, but that His judgment connects the sin with the consequences of the sin. This is confirmed by another passage:
Ga 6:7-8 7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Even in our own legal system, there is usually at least an attempt to make the punishment fit the crime. You don’t expect a person who wrote a bad check to get the electric chair (unless you get stuck with the charges!) You don’t expect a person who is guilty of first degree murder to get 90 days in the county jail (though that sometimes happens!) We expect the punishment to fit the crime.
Justice involves a person getting what they deserve for doing what is wrong. If you break the law, justice demands that you get what you deserve, that the punishment fits the crime. That isn’t just a human idea—it is rooted in the character of God. His wrath demands that a person who does wrong gets what they deserve.
Our For What It’s Worth Department hears from Hershey, PA where the woman in the Mercedes had been waiting patiently for a parking place to open up. The shopping mall was crowded.
The woman in the Mercedes zigzagged between rows—then up ahead she saw a man with a load of packages heading for his car. She drove up, parked behind him and waited while he opened his trunk and loaded it with packages. Finally he got in his car and backed out of the stall.
But before the woman in the Mercedes could drive into the parking space, a young man in a shiny new Corvette zipped past and around her and he pulled into the empty space, got out and started walking away.
“Hey!” shouted the woman in the Mercedes, “I’ve been waiting for that parking place!”
The college-ager responded, “Sorry, lady; that’s how it is when you’re young and quick.”
At that instant she put her Mercedes in gear, floorboarded it, crashed into and crushed the right rear fender and corner panel of the flashy new Corvette. Now the young man is jumping up and down shouting, “You can’t do that!”The lady in the Mercedes said, “That’s how it is when you’re old and rich!”*
This is what you call “poetic justice”—somebody gets what they deserve.
This is also part of God’s justice on the unjust—He makes sure they get what they deserve. In this sense, God’s justice on the unjust is punitive, punishing people for their wrongs in a way that is fitting. But God’s wrath pours out again to bring justice to the unjust in vs. 8-11.
The fourth angel pours out his bowl on the sun in vs. 8, causing its heat to intensify so much the earth and everyone on it are scorched, searching for shade to protect themselves from the destructive rays. Yet in their sweat and agony, they are still able to curse the God Who sends this pain, refusing to recognize Him as their Master.
The fifth angel pours out his bowl on the kingdom of the beast, sending them into the opposite extreme of deep darkness, full of pain and fear. Without the light of either sun or moon, the beast and his followers are left in the blackness, in agony, but still able to blaspheme the God of heaven, still refusing to repent.
In the blazing burning light, or in the deep darkness, these criminals refuse to see the error of their ways, refuse to be reformed. They hold on to their rebellion like a dog holds on to its favorite bone, refusing to repent and return to God.
These people know Who God is—the God of heaven, the God Who is pouring out His wrath on them for their evil deeds. But they refuse to repent, instead lashing out at God, cursing Him, blaspheming Him, shaking their scorched fists at heaven in angry defiance.
Isn’t it strange how people can react to punishment so differently?
Someone once observed that the same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay.
That’s not just true of sun, wax, and clay—it’s true of human hearts.
When God sends judgment on this world, some realize their sinfulness, and allow God’s Spirit to melt their hearts with conviction. They realize they deserve God’s punishment, and they will turn to Him for mercy.
But others have a different reaction. When God touches their lives with conviction, their hearts become hard. They grow angry and bitter at the Lord, hating him and cursing Him for making them suffer as they are. They grow more bitter, defiant, and hardened. Some of them have never believed the Gospel. The worst are those who once professed to be saved and on their way to heaven, but something happened—usually some tragedy or heartache—which turned them away from Christ, and now they are lost.
One of the most vivid pictures of this double aspect of God’s justice is found at the scene of Jesus on the Cross. Remember the two thieves, crucified on either side of Him? (Read Luke 23:39-42)
Two criminals suffering the just punishment for their sins. One heart grows harder, and dies cursing Christ , without hope; the other dies begging for mercy, and soon follows Jesus into heaven. God’s justice on the unjust is more than just punishment—it is His call for to repent and turn to Him, recognize our guilt and His glory.
How do you react when God chastises you? Do you go to your knees, or stand and shake your fist at heaven? Is your first instinct when you are hurting to rebel or repent? When God brings justice to the unjust, He is calling them to repent and turn to Him. But the choice is still ours—repent or rebel.
On one side of a large group stands Jesus, on the other side, Satan, between them a fence. Jesus and Satan begin calling to the people and, one by one — each having made up his or her own mind — each went to either Jesus or Satan. Soon Jesus has gathered around him a group of people as does Satan. But one man refused to commit himself to either group. He climbs up on the fence and sits on it. Jesus and his people begin to walk away. Satan looks straight at the guy on the fence and calls out, “You! Come with me.”
“But”, said the man, “I sat on the fence. I chose neither you nor him.”
“That’s okay,” said Satan. “I own the fence.”
What about you---where do you stand? Will you allow God’s heavy hand to bring you to your knees, or will you defiantly hold on to your pride and be lost?
God’s wrath will soften some up for repentance, but on the other hand, vs. 12-21 tells us how far the unjust will go to try and overthrow God’s justice.
When the sixth angel pours out his bowl, several things happen.
First, the Euphrates river dries up, John explains, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared…Numerous attempts at identifying these kings haven’t solved the mystery. What John imply is this event is preparation for an invasion from the east.
Next, John sees 3 hideous frog-like spirits come out of the mouths of the dragon (Satan), the beast and the false prophet. These spirits are demons sent out to perform miracles and gather the kings of the earth to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (v. 14)…to the place in Hebrew, Armageddon.(v. 16)
Do you see what is happening? These unjust people who refuse to repent, who continue to rebel, now decide it’s time to go to war with God. These unjust people actually believe they can not only escape God’s justice, but that they can start a war with Him and win!
One reason they believe this is because of the deception of the devil himself. But they set themselves up to be deceived. God doesn’t deceive them—they refuse to accept the truth, so God allows them to believe a lie.
2 Th 2:11-12 11And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
1 Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
What is the lie Satan will lead them to believe? It’s right here in these verses: he wants them to believe they can wage war and win against God!
This is why they gather at Armageddon= the plains of Megiddo. They are ready for a showdown with God, to shake loose from His chains, and be free to do as they please.
You’d like to believe nobody could be this ignorant, but the truth is, rebels believe what they want to believe. Even if they know they can’t win, they’d rather die than submitting to God. Haven’t you been paying attention? Haven’t you had enough of God’s wrath, ruthlessly and relentlessly falling like fire from heaven?
But here is another aspect of God’s justice on the unjust: He allows them to believe the devil’s lies. If they refuse to face the truth, He abandons them to the devil’s deception.
Which brings us to a special announcement in vs. 15. In the midst of this vision of the outpouring of God’s wrath, the Lord reminds His people He will return without warning, like a thief in the night. In the 3rd beatitude (blessing) He calls for us to stay alert, and stay ready for His return. It’s almost as if He says guys, beware the danger of allowing the devil to lull you to sleep and deceive you!
Finally, the world of the unjust starts to crumble in vs. 17-21. John gives us an overview of the fall of Babylon and the War of Armageddon, saving the details for later chapters. But this war is over almost before it even gets started. God calls out from heaven It is done! Thunder, lightening, and the mother of all earthquakes destroy Babylon, along with every other great city worldwide. The islands sink, the mountains flatten, and everyone is left trying to dodge 100 lb hailstones. What do these doomed, defeated criminals do? They blaspheme God (v. 21.)
Now where will they go? They’ve cut themselves off from God, their whole world is disintegrating. What’s left?
Let’s skip ahead to Rev. 19:19-21 (read.) Later on the followers of the beast are judged in Rev. 20:11-15 (read.)
The final justice of God sends these criminals to a prison nobody ever leaves, a place where they will never be able to work their mischief again. God makes the universe safe again by locking them up permanently where they belong.This is the terrifying truth about God’s justice for the unjust: there is no escaping God’s final justice for the unjust.
If you and I reject the truth, the God of justice will let us believe a lie; if we fight against God, we will discover He never loses a battle; if you reject Christ and hold on to this world, you will one day find the world passing away, and the only place left for you to go is hell.
But here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way.
One day, when Vice-President Calvin Coolidge was presiding over the Senate, one senator angrily told another to go “straight to hell.” The offended Senator complained to Coolidge as presiding officer, and Coolidge looked up from the book he had been leafing through while listening to the debate and replied “I’ve looked through the rule book. You don’t have to go.”
You and I are unjust, but we don’t have to endure the wrath of God’s justice. We have a choice. God never compromises His justice for anybody, but He has made a way for His justice to be satisfied:
1 Pe 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…
On the Cross, Jesus the just One took God’s wrath, for you and I—the unjust—to bring us to God, where we can repent and believe the Gospel and be saved from judgment. He died so we can be set free by the truth, so we could lay down our weapons and surrender to God. This is how God’s justice brings hope for unjust people like you and I.
Chuck Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship, visited a prison in Brazil founded on Christian principles. This is what he found:
When I visited this prison, I found the inmates smiling, particularly the murderer who opened the gates and let me in. Wherever I walked, I saw men at peace. I saw clean living areas, people working hard. The walls were decorated with biblical sayings from Psalms and Proverbs. My guide escorted me to the notorious prison cell once used for torture. Today, he told me, that area houses only a single inmate. As we reached that cell, he paused and asked, "Are you sure you want to go in?"
"Of course," I replied impatiently. "I’ve been in isolation cells all over the world." Slowly the guide swung open the massive door and I saw the prisoner in that punishment cell: a crucifix, beautifully carved by the inmates -- the prisoner Jesus, hanging on a cross. "He’s doing time for the rest of us," the guide said softly.
Is He doing your time?
God’s justice for the unjust is revealed in His wrath against those who reject Christ, and in His salvation of those who accept Christ. Either way He is glorified by His justice for the unjust. The question is, which side of God’s justice do you stand on? Tonight is a good time to be sure of the answer to this question.
