Where God’s Justice Is Fully Known

His soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance.   Luke 16:23

Hell is the place where God’s justice is fully known, a place of punishment. When Jesus described a man who went to hell, he said that he was in torment. And the Bible speaks about God’s enemies being “tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb” (Revelation 14:10).

As awful as this is, it is something for which we should be thankful. It is for this reason that God urges us to leave vengeance in his hands: “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the LORD” (Romans 12:19). God will execute perfect justice with total knowledge. God will bring all evil to light.

This world is riddled with injustice at every level. People who have been responsible for unspeakable evils have never been brought to face the evil for which they are responsible. Adolf Hitler would be one example, but there are many others who have slipped, through death, beyond the reach of justice in this world. And even with those who are living, the international community continues to struggle over how to bring justice to war criminals who have committed unspeakable atrocities.

But God has set a day of judgment from which no one can escape. All secrets will be revealed, and there will be no evasions. The dead will be raised, and the wicked will be brought to face their own sins as they stand before the judgment of God.

God will repay, so leave room for God’s wrath. You don’t need to take revenge into your hands when you know it is in his. God will deal with it. You can leave it to him.

On this foundation, God says, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads” (Romans 12:20).

For further reading, see Luke 16