Having finished my study of Daniel, I’ve moved on to study Ezekiel for the remainder of 2021. Here’s a handy verse I’ve come across…

Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations. 

Ezekiel 7:3 

What’s great about this text is it provides almost an outline for what “punishment from God” actually looks like:

It begins with God bringing about “the end.” In other words, before the end comes the sinner in question has the opportunity to repent and turn back to God, seeking forgiveness. When the end comes, however, that’s it: There is no more opportunity. There is no more second (third, fourth, etc) chance. When the end comes, you will have made your choice and now must live with the consequences.

Second, God’s anger falls upon you. Because you made the choice (A) to sin, and (B) not to repent, you have no one to blame but yourself for the anger of the Lord. It’s in His nature to despise ungodliness. He can not have it in his presence any more than you can breathe under water. It’s against your nature to breathe without oxygen, just as it is against the holy God’s nature to tolerate sinfulness.

Third, God judges you according to your ways. Again, remember, this occurs after the end has come. You have the opportunity before that to repent and be forgiven, and if you do, then your crimes are overlooked by the Lord. If you do not, then when the end comes, you will be held accountable for all you’ve done.

Finally, God recompences. Literally, God “pays you back.” The sinner offends God with his wickedness. In response, the Lord balances the scales, evens the score, and makes things right again. Doing evil is not just an affront to God, it’s a crime against His creation. Destroying the sinner is the only logical course of action to take.

But again, remember: The sinner can be destroyed in one of two ways, the easy way or the hard way. One way or another God is going to “take care of” the problem of sinners in the world. The easy way is for the sinner to repent and be forgiven. When that happens, he’s no longer a sinner anymore; the wrong has been set right. The hard way is for God to punish the sinner.  Which solution would you rather have? I know what I’d rather do: I’d rather repent than be punished. That’s the choice God gives us now, before “the end” has come.

~ Matthew