God will judge the wicked in His time. I would be the first to admit I don’t always understand God’s timing when judging the wicked. When Adam and Eve fell into sin it infected the entire human race. In our broken world, sinful people and nations cause unmerited pain to others. In the middle of this broken world, the Lord has placed you as a believer to be a lighthouse to show others the ways of Jesus.
One person can make a difference. On a foreign mission trip, we visited a local prison. Our team brought food for the prisoners and told the message of Jesus. Several people placed their faith in Jesus that day, joining a few other believers. The Lord was using one prisoner we met there as an informal chaplain spreading the light of Jesus amid spiritual darkness. As believers in Jesus, we forget that we would be headed down the same path as the most wicked person in the world without faith. Jesus, in His grace, rescues us from our sins when we repent and believe.
God Will Judge the Wicked
Judging people is the role of the Lord because He is the only one who truly knows our hearts. Our loving God does not compare us to others because He knows we have all fallen short. Romans 3:23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.[1] In this week’s story, the wicked religious leaders tried to trap Jesus so they could arrest him. If they did not repent, they would face judgment along with the wicked. Revelation 20: 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. [2]
God Gives the Wicked Time to Repent
Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah, one of the finest kings, but he was not like his father. Instead, he was a cruel tyrant. His story is told in 2 Chronicles chapter 33. He was an idol worshiper who turned against God and worshiped many different pagan deities. In addition, he was guilty of immorality and perversion as he devoted himself to witchcraft and murder. He even sacrificed his son to a pagan god.
In God’s grace, judgment came upon Manasseh. The Babylonians hauled Manasseh to a foreign prison. There he had a change of heart. 2 Chronicles 33:13 And when Manasseh prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God! [3] God’s mercy is vast and beyond our comprehension because He responds to repentant hearts.
To learn how God will judge the wicked in His time, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/mark-jesus-authority-challenged
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.