The Lord tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

— Psalm 11:5

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

— Proverbs 8:13

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

— Isaiah 59:2

The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works.

— Psalm 145:17

There is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but Me.

— Isaiah 45:21

He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.

— Deuteronomy 32:4

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.”

— 1 John 2:29

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

The final judgment described in Revelation often raises hard questions. How can God send people He created and loves into a lake of fire and eternal suffering? Our finite minds cannot fully grasp all that is true about God. However, He can be trusted to always do what is right. We can underestimate the horror of sin and the wonder of salvation while we live in a sin-absorbed world. In the end, our discomfort with the concept of God’s final judgment does not make this fact untrue. If we fail to believe God will exercise holy wrath against sin, we will not seek His loving provision of salvation and refuge in His Son.

Believing in God’s righteous wrath elevates the gift of salvation in Christ. The depth of His sacrifice and love becomes personally meaningful when we realize what we deserve. Believers do not escape final judgment because of anything they offer. The only claim to right standing with God rests in Christ alone. God’s wrath against sin should motivate His people to share the good news of Christ with others. Let’s take heed and seriously respond to this sobering truth!