The Day of Vengeance, The Day of Joy

Psalm 58 clearly reveals that for the righteous, the day of vengeance of the Lord is the day of joy and gladness. It’s the day you receive your reward because God has judged you righteously:

10 “The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, 11 So that men will say, "Surely [there is] a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth." [Psalm 58:10-11 NKJV]

The day of the vengeance of the Lord is the day that He judges you and if you know and see yourself righteous before His eye, you will never be afraid of His judgment! If we are afraid of the judgment and vengeance of God, then this simply shows that we don’t see ourselves one with Him. We don’t see that we are righteous in His sight and He is not angry with us. But instead, once we realized that we are His righteousness, we can realize that the affliction of the righteous is many (Ps 34:19) and that’s why we cry out to the Lord for vengeance. We cry out to the only judge and ask Him to avenge us of all of our adversaries.

The Righteous should Cry Out for Vengeance of the Lord

Jesus has portrayed this beautifully in the parable of the persistent widow in Luke chapter 18. There was this widow who goes to an unjust judge constantly and asks him to get justice for him on her adversaries. After the persistence of this widow, the unjust judge finally decides to take vengeance on her adversaries. Next, Jesus turns the story around to explain to us how much more God is just and He will avenge His own elect speedily. He says:

7 "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" [Luke 18:7-8 NKJV]

We are that widow, the elect of God. We were once married to a husband, Adam, who died on the cross and now we are ought to marry the Christ, the one who is raised from the dead (Heb 7:1-6). Even thought we haven’t fully reconciled to our husband, the Christ, but we know we will one day.  Until that day (when resurrection of the immortal body of Jesus happens in us) we will have many accusers, many adversaries who try to bring us back to the bondage of the old, carnal, fleshly and earthly husband. Yet we continue in persistence in prayer to the just God to avenge us on our enemies.

That is why we can even see that in the Book of Revelation there are some who cry out to the Lord saying: “… How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” [Rev 6:10 NKJV]

And later on, toward the end of the Book of Revelation, right before the marriage of the lamb takes place, an angel declares that God has avenged the blood of His servants:

2 "For true and righteous [are] His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants [shed] by her." [Rev 19:2 NKJV]

The harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication is Babylon. Which we are going to see in more detail shortly.

They Day of Vengeance, the Day of Reward

But before we move on into more details, I want to draw your attention to this; that the vengeance of the Lord is on your adversaries and God, the righteous judge, knows your affliction and He is delivering you from all your enemies and giving you your reward. That is why in the Book of Revelation you are constantly hearing that Jesus is talking about a reward. Even in the last chapter He says:

12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward [is] with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” [Rev 22:12 NKJV]

According to Psalm 58 that we just read, the reward of the righteous comes when the vengeance of the Lord has come upon the adversaries. Therefore, the coming of Jesus is to bring vengeance on His own elect so that they can receive the reward and inherit all things.

We can even see that through out the Old Testament, the Day of the Lord is the day of vengeance. That day is dreadful and no one can escape it. If we don’t understand that the day of vengeance is for us not against us then we run away from the vengeance of God. This misunderstanding prevents us from receiving the reward because we then try to overcome evil ourselves, while it was the vengeance of the Lord that was supposed to come on our enemies and brings us salvation.

Isaiah is moved by the Spirit of God and speaks of the day of vengeance:

4 “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." [Isa 35:4 NKJV]

Therefore, the day of vengeance of the Lord is the day that brings salvation to God’s His own elect. Or to say it to you another way, it’s a day that you are fully reconciled and one with your husband the resurrected Christ, in Soul and Body!

This powerful teaching by Masoud, takes you through understanding of the year of recompense, the true fasting that that brings salvation to mankind. I highly recommend to watch this teaching. 

Vengeance of the Lord on The Unfaithful Jerusalem, The Harlot Babylon

In Luke chapter 21 Jesus is talking about the day of the vengeance that must be fulfilled when Jerusalem is desolated. In verse 20 to 22 He says:

20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

21 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.

22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”

On the other hand, Isaiah Chapter 1 says that Jerusalem was a faithful city but she later became the harlot:

21” How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers.” [Isa 1:21 NKJV]

We know that Jeremiah lived in the time when Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon.  Long before they were exiled to Babylon, they started worshiping the God of Babylon, ‘Baal’. Finally, they went to the captivity of the City whose God they were worshiping. The city wasn’t the faithful city any more, but a place where they murdered the prophets who spoke the truth. They murdered the truth! Later on, the city got surrounded by the armies of Babylon for a couple of months and after that was destroyed and people went to captivity.

We can say that Jerusalem became the harlot Babylon! Or we can even say, when people of God forsake the truth and believe in false doctrine, they become the harlot Babylon. That’s why this Jerusalem had to be destroyed. That is why Jesus in Luke chapter 21 says that the destruction of Jerusalem is the day of vengeance and on the other hand, the book of Revelation declares the destruction of Babylon was the vengeance of the Lord on the blood of His servants the prophets.

Now I want to draw your attention to this important note; understand that I am not talking about the destruction of Jerusalem that took place in 70AD. Because if it was so, the parable of the persistent widow, the Book of Revelation and many other prophesies of the Old Testament about the day of vengeance (which is mentioned as destruction of Jerusalem), don’t apply to us today.  That would mean the scriptures are no longer alive to convey a wisdom to us today so we can inherit the salvation (2 Timothy 3:15).

We need to be careful that the Bible for us today is no longer a history book but a mystery book that reveals the mysteries of Christ. Even though the stories and events of the Bible happened during the course of history, it is written for us today to be used as an example, for our admonishing to make us wise for salvation (1 Cor 10:11)

Therefore, let’s understand what Jerusalem means as an example that reveals the Christ to us:

Vengeance of the Lord on Jerusalem, The Old Man Adam

The same verses that are explained in Luke chapter 21, such as ‘the destruction of Jerusalem’ and ‘the fleeing to the mountains’, are also mentioned in Matthew 24:15-16 where Jesus is talking about the destruction of the temple and not Jerusalem.

Well, what made Jerusalem special and not an ordinary city like all the other cities? It was because of the temple. Therefore, when Jesus was talking about the destruction of the temple, it could even mean the destruction of Jerusalem and vice versa.

However, right before the crucifixion, Jesus enters the temple and over throws the table of the money changers and those who sold doves. Later on, He was asked by the pharisees with what authority He is doing all these things and in response to that Jesus says: “destroy this temple and in three days I will rise it up again!”  He was talking about the temple of ‘His body’ and not the natural, physical temple in the earthly Jerusalem. He was talking about the destruction of the temple of His body and the resurrection of the temple of His body.

If, therefore, the temple that needs to be destroyed is His body, then the Jerusalem that needs to be destroyed is the man that has the temple in it, Adam. So, in the same way, the temple that needs to be raised up is His resurrected Body and thus the Jerusalem is the heavenly man, The Christ.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul explains that the first man was Adam. He was of the earth, corruptible and mortal. That’s why he needed to return to the earth and be sown so that the second man, the Christ can be risen. Jesus came as Adam, the first man, but when He died, He put an end to Adam and He became the last Adam.  The one who was raised was no longer an earthly Man, but a heavenly Man. So, the last Adam became the second man.

Therefore, the destruction of Jerusalem, a city which had become a harlot, is speaking of the earthly man who had corrupted the earth, Adam.

Jesus was asked a question about the destruction of the earthly temple and city and He, as always, turned a physical example into a deep spiritual understanding. He used every earthly example to convey the revelation of the mystery of Christ at His death and His resurrection.

But people who interpret the words of Jesus naturally are called the false witnesses. Because those false witnesses came forward to testify against him. They said:

Matthew 26: “I will destroy the temple of God and in three days raise up another.”

And

Mark 14: 58 He said: “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands and raise up another temple that is made without hands”.

Therefore, Jesus was not talking about the destruction of a natural temple, the one made with hands. Instead, He was talking about the destruction of the temple of Adam’s body.

Therefore, we need to look at everything Jesus said as a revelation of mystery. Jesus was mostly concerned about the doctrines, teachings and beliefs that build people into a temple. This could be a temple that becomes the dwelling place of the foul spirit or a temple that becomes the dwelling place of God. Even the book of Ephesians says that we are the one who are being built into a temple, a dwelling place of God is Spirit and that happens through the knowledge of the son of God (Eph 2:19-22 and 4:7-16)

That’s why when Jesus started answering a question about the destruction of the temple, He started talking about the false teachers, false Christ and false prophets. The reason is that these false teachers, by their doctrine, build people into a building, a temple and even a city that must be destroyed by the truth.

This is the ‘word’ that builds you and you are either being built on the true foundation with precious stones or you are being built on a false foundation (false Christ) and not with precious stones but instead with hay, wood and the lies that will not endure the fire of eternal vengeance.

Going back to Luke 21, Jesus clearly mentioned that the destruction of the temple, the Jerusalem, happens when the day of the vengeance of our Lord happens. Thus, He was talking about the destruction of the temple of the corruptible body of Adam so God can raise up another body, incorruptible and immortal.  He was talking about the crucifixion.

Let’s take a look at more scriptures to understand that the Day of the vengeance of the Lord is the day of the crucifixion of the Old Man. It’s the end of the old mind, thought, heart, desire, intention, motivation, nature and everything that comes in the package with Adam.

Crucifixion, The Vengeance of the Lord on the Corruptible Nature

Let’s take a look at Isaiah 3:

8 “For [it is] the day of the LORD's vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 9 Its streams shall be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch. 10 It shall not be quenched night or day; Its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; No one shall pass through it forever and ever.” [Isa 34:8-10 NKJV]

But let’s read a few verses before that to understand it in the context:

5 "For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed, it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment. 6 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.” [Isa 34:5-6 NKJV]

In these verses, Isaiah is revealing to us that the day that the sword of the Lord brings sacrifice in Bozrah, is called the day of the vengeance of the Lord.  Also, this day of vengeance is the day where the unquenchable fire is burning many things forever and ever.

We had a teaching on our YouTube channel about this unquenchable fire. It is often referred to hell by error, but it’s talking about the fire that burns the sacrifice as a sign of acceptance to the Lord. It’s a fire that burns all things that needs to be burned. It’s a fire that purifies the gold and the silver. It’s the everlasting fire of God’s love that is burning what needs to be burned in you, so that He can build you with His own hand and with pearls and precious stones of His truth. If you haven’t watched the video yet, I highly recommend it.

So now let’s go to Isaiah 63 where almost the same thing is prophesied:

1 “Who [is] this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This [One who is] glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?--"I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save." 2 Why [is] Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? 3 "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one [was] with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes. 4 For the day of vengeance [is] in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come. 5 I looked, but [there was] no one to help, And I wondered That [there was] no one to uphold; Therefore, my own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me.” [Isa 63:1-5 NKJV]

It's the crucifixion where God takes vengeance on our enemy, Adam. Here is where the truth of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross becomes the reality in our lives; when we decide to pick up the cross and follow Jesus. Where we follow Him to the cross, to 3 days of burial and resurrection. When we realize our soul becomes the blameless sheep as a free will offering to our God. Where our soul, a sheep, follows the Lamb through the death and resurrection.

When we realize that we died with Him, then we believe that the old, carnal, fleshly man, who was an enemy to God, is already crucified and it is now the matter of the resurrection of the Christ in us. When you start seeing yourself as having died on the cross with Him, then you no longer see yourself as a sinner but as righteous.  If you see yourself as righteous then you look for the reward because the day of vengeance of the Lord has come for you. But, if you see yourself apart from him, that means you see yourself an enemy of God, and then you are afraid of the vengeance of God because His vengeance is on His enemies.

When Jesus first shows up to preach the gospel, He goes to the synagogue and reads some portions from the book of Isaiah chapter 61. He reads:

1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to [those who are] bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, ……” [Isa 61:1-2 NKJV]

He stops in the middle of verse two and He closes the scroll and He doesn’t even read the rest of the verse. Because the rest of the verse says “And the day of the vengeance of our God.”

Interestingly, I have heard some people say that Jesus did not come to bring the vengeance of God and that is why He didn’t read the rest of the scriptures. Well, that can’t be true because Jesus said in multiple places that all that was written must be fulfilled. The Old Testament clearly says that the day of the vengeance of the Lord is the day of His coming. So, Jesus actually came to fulfil even the vengeance of the Lord, but not in that very hour when He was reading the verses to the people of Nazareth. Because right after He read the scripture, he closed the scroll and said to them: “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” The day of vengeance had not been fulfilled that very hour because He was not crucified yet.

Vengeance of the Lord with Fire

Isaiah 34 reveals to us that one of the types of the vengeance of the Lord is fire. This fire comes on the city of Jerusalem who has become the harlot Babylon and full of murderers. The judgment and righteousness were not in her anymore and that is why the vengeance of the Lord had to come and destroy this city.

The Book of Revelation reveals to us that Babylon will be destroyed by fire and everything that is in it will be burned. That’s why if we continue reading through verse 21-26 in chapter one of Isaiah, we’ll see that Isaiah is prophesying the vengeance of fire on Jerusalem:

21 “How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers.

22 Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.

And

24 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.

25 I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy.

26 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."

Therefore, what God is doing in the day of His coming is that He is bringing a vengeance with fire to take a way the alloy and dross from the silver and gold. Because Jerusalem was precious, was silver and gold, but because of the false prophets and false teachers, received alloy and dross. So, God is purifying his own people by cleansing them from all things that are lies.

Now let’s see what fire is:

Leviticus 19 says that we should not take vengeance on our enemies but instead we should love them:

18” '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.” [Lev 19:18 NKJV]

Also, the apostle Paul in his letter to Romans, says the same thing. He encourages people to continue loving their neighbour and take vengeance on their enemy:

19 “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but [rather] give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance [is] Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.” [Rom 12:19 NKJV]

20 “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” [Rom 12:20 KJV]

He is saying that the vengeance is for the Lord and you must continue to love your enemy and by doing so it’s like putting coals of fire on his head. He is symbolizing the coals of fire to love!

Now we need to consider these things we have been talking about. Our biggest enemy is the carnal man, Adam inside of us. We shouldn’t try to get rid of him by taking vengeance on him but instead we need to love him and feed him. We do this because we know Adam was made up of gold and silver and the only problem is that a lot of dross and alloy covered his true identity. His true identity that is hidden in him will be revealed once the fire of love comes on him to purify him.

But how do we feed him?

Do you remember Jesus said to eat my body and drink my blood until I come? What is He talking about? He is talking about feeding your soul, the Adam, the carnal, earthly natural man with the reality and truth of the crucifixion. Feeding him with Love! Then He comes with vengeance to save the Adam by purifying him of all of his lies. By this the true man that is inside of Adam, the Christ, the gold, will come out of him.

It’s the love that Adam needs to experience in order to be ready to lay down his soul, so the Christ in him can be raised to everlasting life. Otherwise, Adam will always run away from the cross and wants to save himself.

We should always see this. That out of the same corruptible Adam, the incorruptible Christ rises up.  This is how God shows love to Adam: When He raises up his true identity.