The Vengeance of the LORD is Coming

Leviticus 19:17-18

You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

h5358. נָקַם nâqam; a primitive root; to grudge, i.e. avenge or punish: — avenge(-r, self), punish, revenge (self), x surely, take vengeance. AV (35) – avenge 18, vengeance 4, revenge 4, take 4, avenger 2, punished 2, surely 1;

to avenge, take vengeance, revenge, avenge oneself, be avenged, be punished(Qal)to avenge, take vengeanceto entertain revengeful feelings (Niphal)to avenge oneselfto suffer vengeance (Piel) to avenge(Hophal) to be avenged, vengeance be taken (for blood)(Hithpael) to avenge oneself

Deuteronomy 32:35-36

Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;

Their foot shall slip in due time;

For the day of their calamity is at hand,

And the things to come hasten upon them.’

“For the LORD will judge His people

And have compassion on His servants,

When He sees that their power is gone,

And there is no one remaining, bond or free.

Deuteronomy 32:39-41

‘Now see that I, even I, am He,

And there is no God besides Me;

I kill and I make alive;

I wound and I heal;

Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

For I raise My hand to heaven,

And say, “As I live forever,

If I whet My glittering sword,

And My hand takes hold on judgment,

I will render vengeance to My enemies,

And repay those who hate Me.

Deuteronomy 32:43

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people;

For He will avenge the blood of His servants,

And render vengeance to His adversaries;

He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

Numbers 31:1-3

Vengeance on the Midianites

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the LORD on Midian.   It was a in this context that Baalam the false prophet was dealt with.  Numbers 31:8

They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword.

Ps 115:16…. Earth given to the sons of men…. God is in heaven. 

Romans 13:1-4 

Psalm 58 – The Just Judgment of the Wicked

Psalms 58:2-3

No, in heart you work wickedness;

You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

The wicked are estranged from the womb;

They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

Psalms 58:10-11

The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance;

He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

So that men will say,

“Surely there is a reward for the righteous;

Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”

Psalms 94:1-3

God the Refuge of the Righteous

O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—

O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!

Rise up, O Judge of the earth;

Render punishment to the proud.

LORD, how long will the wicked,

How long will the wicked triumph?

Psalms 149:5-9

Let the saints be joyful in glory;

Let them sing aloud on their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,

And a two-edged sword in their hand,

To execute vengeance on the nations,

And punishments on the peoples;

To bind their kings with chains,

And their nobles with fetters of iron;

To execute on them the written judgment—

This honor have all His saints.

Praise the LORD!

The issue is the difference between YOUR vengeance and God’s.  Your enemies and God’s.

Isaiah 1:24-28

Therefore the Lord says,

The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,

“Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,

And take vengeance on My enemies.

I will turn My hand against you,

And thoroughly purge away your dross,

And take away all your alloy.

I will restore your judges as at the first,

And your counselors as at the beginning.

Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”

Zion shall be redeemed with justice,

And her penitents with righteousness.

The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,

And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

Isaiah 34:5-6

“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven;

Indeed it shall come down on Edom,

And on the people of My curse, for judgment.

The sword of the LORD is filled with blood,

It is made overflowing with fatness,

With the blood of lambs and goats,

With the fat of the kidneys of rams.

For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah,

And a great slaughter in the land of Edom….. Isaiah 34:8

For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance,

The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Isaiah 35:3-10

Strengthen the weak hands,

And make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are fearful-hearted,

“Be strong, do not fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

With the recompense of God;

He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then the lame shall leap like a deer,

And the tongue of the dumb sing.

For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,

And streams in the desert.

The parched ground shall become a pool,

And the thirsty land springs of water;

In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,

There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

A highway shall be there, and a road,

And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it,

But it shall be for others.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool,

Shall not go astray.

No lion shall be there,

Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;

It shall not be found there.

But the redeemed shall walk there,

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 59:15-19

So truth fails,

And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

The Redeemer of Zion

Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him

That there was no justice.

He saw that there was no man,

And wondered that there was no intercessor;

Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;

And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.

For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

And a helmet of salvation on His head;

He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,

And was clad with zeal as a cloak.

According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay,

Fury to His adversaries,

Recompense to His enemies;

The coastlands He will fully repay.

So shall they fear

The name of the LORD from the west,

And His glory from the rising of the sun;

When the enemy comes in like a flood,

The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

Jeremiah 15:15-16

O LORD, You know;

Remember me and visit me,

And take vengeance for me on my persecutors.

In Your enduring patience, do not take me away.

Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.

Your words were found, and I ate them,

And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;

For I am called by Your name,

O LORD God of hosts.

Jeremiah 20:12-14

But, O LORD of hosts,

You who test the righteous,

And see the mind and heart,

Let me see Your vengeance on them;

For I have pleaded my cause before You.

Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD!

For He has delivered the life of the poor

From the hand of evildoers.

Cursed be the day in which I was born!

Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!

Jeremiah 46:10

For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts,

A day of vengeance,

That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries.

The sword shall devour;

It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood;

For the Lord GOD of hosts has a sacrifice

In the north country by the River Euphrates.

Jeremiah 50:14-15

“Put yourselves in array against Babylon all around,

All you who bend the bow;

Shoot at her, spare no arrows,

For she has sinned against the LORD.

Shout against her all around;

She has given her hand,

Her foundations have fallen,

Her walls are thrown down;

For it is the vengeance of the LORD.

Take vengeance on her.

As she has done, so do to her.

Jeremiah 50:28-29

The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon

Declares in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God,

The vengeance of His temple.

“Call together the archers against Babylon.

All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around;

Let none of them escape.

Repay her according to her work;

According to all she has done, do to her;

For she has been proud against the LORD,

Against the Holy One of Israel.

Jeremiah 51:35-36

Let the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon,”

The inhabitant of Zion will say;

“And my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea!”

Jerusalem will say.

Therefore thus says the LORD:

“Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you.

I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.

Ezekiel 25:15-17

Proclamation Against Philistia

‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,” therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.”’”

Micah 5:15 – 6:2

And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury

On the nations that have not heard.”

God Pleads with Israel

Hear now what the LORD says:

“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,

And let the hills hear your voice.

Hear, O you mountains, the LORD’s complaint,

And you strong foundations of the earth;

For the LORD has a complaint against His people,

And He will contend with Israel.

Luke 21:20-24

The Destruction of Jerusalem

(Matt. 24:15–28; Mark 13:14–23)

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Romans 12:19 – 13:4

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Submit to Government

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-8

God’s Final Judgment and Glory

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeanceon those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:26-30

The Just Live by Faith

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”

Jude 1:7

as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.