Topical Bible: Punishment: Divine: No Escape From

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The concept of divine punishment is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, emphasizing the inescapability of God's judgment upon those who transgress His laws. This notion underscores the righteousness and justice of God, who holds individuals and nations accountable for their actions.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, the inevitability of divine punishment is vividly illustrated in the narratives of the prophets and the history of Israel. The prophet Amos declares, "I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2), highlighting the certainty of God's retribution for sin. Similarly, the prophet Nahum speaks of God's wrath against Nineveh, stating, "The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished" (Nahum 1:3).

The account of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a stark example of inescapable divine punishment. Despite Abraham's intercession, the cities were destroyed due to their grievous sins, as recorded in Genesis 19. This narrative demonstrates that when divine judgment is decreed, it is both thorough and unavoidable.

New Testament References

The New Testament continues this theme, with Jesus Himself warning of the certainty of divine punishment. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks of the final judgment, where He will separate the righteous from the wicked, declaring to the latter, "Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). This passage underscores the finality and inescapability of divine punishment for those who reject God's ways.

The Apostle Paul also addresses the certainty of divine retribution. In his letter to the Romans, he writes, "But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed" (Romans 2:5). Paul emphasizes that God's judgment is impartial and inevitable for those who persist in sin.

Theological Implications

The doctrine of inescapable divine punishment serves as a sobering reminder of God's holiness and justice. It calls believers to live in obedience to God's commandments and to seek His mercy and forgiveness through repentance. The certainty of divine retribution also serves as a warning to those who reject God's authority, urging them to turn from their ways and seek reconciliation with Him.

Throughout Scripture, the message is clear: divine punishment is certain and unavoidable for those who persist in sin. This truth is a foundational aspect of the biblical narrative, reflecting the character of God as both just and merciful.

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Job 11:20
But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.
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Proverbs 1:24-31
Because I have called, and you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
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Proverbs 11:21
Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
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Proverbs 16:5
Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
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Proverbs 29:1
He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
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Jeremiah 11:11
Therefore thus said the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil on them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry to me, I will not listen to them.
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Jeremiah 15:1
Then said the LORD to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
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Jeremiah 25:28,29
And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at your hand to drink, then shall you say to them, Thus said the LORD of hosts; You shall certainly drink.
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Ezekiel 7:19
They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity.
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Amos 2:14-16
Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
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Zephaniah 1:18
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
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Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
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Matthew 23:33
You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?
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Romans 2:3
And think you this, O man, that judge them which do such things, and do the same, that you shall escape the judgment of God?
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Colossians 3:25
But he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done: and there is no respect of persons.
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Hebrews 2:3
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard him;
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Hebrews 12:25
See that you refuse not him that speaks. For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaks from heaven:
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Library

Of the Increase and the Punishment of the Christians.
... But since the divine law has been received from the ... satisfaction also to God; and
there is no worshipper of ... he bears the traces of lasting punishment, and the ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chapter xiii of the increase and.htm

Of Offences, and the Mercy of God.
... But if the divine censure should condemn all those who escape the punishment
of men, there would be few or even no men on the earth. ...
/.../chap xx of offences and the.htm

Whether the Damned Blaspheme?
... Accordingly this detestation of the Divine justice is, in them ... deterred from blasphemy
through fear of punishment which they ... in hell, the damned have no hope of ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the damned blaspheme.htm

Preparation for Advent
... four, the Lord would not turn away their punishment. ... the world's history, which throws
a divine light upon ... ruin by the invaders, from which will be no escape. ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon ii preparation for advent.htm

The Last Farthing.
... of man; that seal is either his great punishment, or his ... of doing the thing that
is not divine, the thing ... that is required of us; but there is no such escape. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/the last farthing.htm

Whether all Things are under Divine Providence
... But it is under divine providence in a special way as ... recipient of blame or praise,
and of punishment or reward ... not say that God's providence has no regard for ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article two whether all things.htm

Repentance
... his sin in order to escape further punishment, but returned ... contrast with the perfection
of the divine holiness ... sin and declare that there is no escape from its ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 3 repentance.htm

Whether There is Hope in the Damned
... unless the damned were aware that their punishment was everlasting. ... that they know
that they can in no wise escape ... infallibly to its end by the divine intellect ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article three whether there is 2.htm

Acts iv. 36, 37
... forswear himself, whether he will or not; and no perjurer can ... to ourselves, that
we may escape the punishment due to ... of God, the agent of the divine retribution ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xii acts iv 36.htm

No Condemnation
... a great many differences; the conception of the divine nature is no doubt infinitely ...
this, that guilt, or sin, and condemnation and punishment, are, if ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/no condemnation.htm