II Peter 2:9

II Peter 2:9: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”

One point that we often overlook is that the wicked do not receive their punishment in this life. This world is not the place where justice is handed out. God never promised to make sure that, in this life, every evildoer was punished and every righteous man was rewarded. That is not how it works. If you are looking for justice in this life then you may find yourself greatly disappointed.

The truth is that God has a different plan. The godly, Peter says, God will deliver – but the wicked are being reserved for the day of judgment. There is one specific point in history when all of the wicked will be judged for all the wicked things they have done. That day is the Great White Throne judgment. On that day every single person who died without Christ will stand before the throne and will be judged for every last evil thing they have ever done. Not one thing will be overlooked. It will be a complete, total, and perfect judgment.

But the judgment that awaits them will not happen until that day, and that day is still a long way away. The judgment will not happen until after the Rapture, after the Tribulation, after the Second Coming, after the Millennial Reign, and after the last battle. Considering that the Millennial Reign will last a thousand years, that tells us that the day of judgment is a long way away. It is certain and it will come, but it is not near.

The day of judgment is the final act in human history before God ends death, evil, and this world once and for all. After that day God will create a new Heaven and Earth and a new chapter will begin.

The true judgment of evil, then, awaits for the final closing chapter in this age of history. It will happen, but we must be patient for it. We must not give up just because injustice abounds in this life. God warned us that this would be the case; He did not hide that from us. But injustice will not abound forever. A different day is coming.