I remember first hearing John Lennon’s Instant Karma when someone lent me the Shaved Fish album back in the mid seventies. It’s Lennon dreaming of an immediate moral cause-and-effect — what you put out into the world instantly comes right back to you.
When I used to hear of awful terrorists atrocities in Ireland, I used to sometimes wish that I could magically inflict a mysterious fatal disease on all those who committed the murders – whichever side they were on. Everyone would wonder what the disease was and why it was only the terrorists who were dying from it. Or, better still, have some way of them dropping dead immediately before they murdered anyone.
Nowadays, when I think of conflicts in the world and hear of so many innocent people dying, maybe I’d apply my special powers to the people who I deem responsible. But I could make mistakes. I’d much rather leave it to God to decide. Yet, He rarely seems to intervene directly. Sometimes you do hear of terrorists mistakenly killing themselves with their own bombs. And so many particularly evil people, be they terrorists, drug dealers, child abusers or whatever, end up in misery in this world, let alone the next.
Interestingly, I once met someone who had been involved in Irish terrorism. I think he lost his arms when an unexploded bomb went off. But he repented and committed his life to Christ. Some people on both sides of the conflict in Ireland did repent and give their lives to Christ – and I personally met several from both sides.
So much of the Scriptures have people crying out to God for justice, particularly the Old Testament Psalms. But there’s also much about mercy. A time will come when all evil will be addressed. The thing is, I might wish that those who committed the October 7th attacks in Israel were swiftly judged. But God is such a Holy being, that even my daily “mundane” sins deeply offend him. So, if he instantly judged all sin, everyone in the world would be judged.
In fact Scripture teaches that all sin is deserving of eternal punishment in Hell, though there are degrees of punishment. So, we long for justice, but where people genuinely repent and trust in Jesus, they will find mercy. That’s the whole reason why Jesus came into the world.
I would think that many of the persecuted Christians in the first century might have hoped that Saul of Tarsus, their chief persecutor would get “instant karma”. Something instant (or at least sudden) did happen. He was converted on the road to Damascus, and became the most prominent apostle and missionary in the early church. And he wrote most of the New Testament epistles. Here’s one of his famous sayings:
1 Timothy 1:15
The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
The Book of Revelation mentions two books. One book lays out all the sins of individuals, which they will spend eternity paying for. The other contains the names of those who have repented and believed. People debate about whether this is to be taken literally or whether it’s a metaphorical description of what’ll happen. But either way, it’s gonna happen.
Revelation 20:11-15
11 I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them. 12 I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
You don’t see many hymns about judgement. Here are a couple. But you do get many about salvation – and judgement and hell is what we are saved from.
One of my favourites is There is a Green Hill Far Away, which incidentally, was written by an Irish lady. According to traditional accounts, she was inspired by a small grassy mound outside the old city wall of Derry, which reminded her of Calvary.
3 He died that we might be forgiv'n,
He died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heav'n,
saved by His precious blood.
And when we become away of God’s mercy and respond by repenting and believing, we can actually look forward to the return of Christ, rather than dread the day of judgement
Hibernia Gospel 