Is It Okay to Question God's Timing?

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”  —Revelation 6:9-10

So, here are the souls of the righteous ones made perfect before God in heaven, and they are asking God something very interesting. It sounds almost like they are impatient and complaining and vindictive on the surface. How long? Avenge our blood? These do not sound like the words of perfected individuals, right? Actually, there were good reasons for asking this question of God’s timing.

These martyrs were not impatient, but rather expectant and unsure of the timing of God’s judgment. They knew that God’s judgment was coming, but they did not know when. Notice the words “holy and true.” In that context, they sought an answer to the timing of God’s righteous judgment. The holiness of God demands justice, and justice is to the glory of His name. These martyrs desired, no doubt, the foreordained justice punishment of God to fall on the impenitent followers of the devil. Yes, it was personal to them, certainly, for they had been killed. But is it wrong to desire God’s judgment—which you know must sometime come—on those who have personally done great wrong to you and blasphemed God? Apparently, the answer is “no.” I would suggest that the key here is that they knew that there would be no mercy to these people, and so they looked forward to the just punishment of God that was to come, when His righteousness would be revealed. Then, we too can appreciate and look forward to God’s judgment on those who refuse to repent, even as did David (e.g. Ps 74:10; 94:1-5; 82:8). If God is glorified in judgment—though He takes no pleasure in it—we should and must learn to appreciate it. Perhaps this seems inappropriate in the church age where grace is emphasized, but perhaps rather our view of God needs some adjustment.

What we learn of the eternal state is that we will not know everything. We will not immediately be given all the answers in heaven. In fact, God may not give us the answers immediately, even as He did not give these ones a direct answer as to the exact timing. Then too it is not inappropriate to ask God questions now. An honest and open and God-glorifying prayer may include humble questions, as we see over and over again in the prayers of the Psalms.

(We also learn that those in heaven are aware of the passage of time. They are not so disconnected with time that they cannot wonder that so much time is passing. Lastly, we learn that they appear to be aware of what is happening on earth to some degree or another. They know that God’s judgment has not yet come to those on the earth.)

These martyrs were not complaining, but rather they were inquiring. They desired to know God’s timing and plans. It is not wrong to wonder at God’s plans and to inquire about them. Rather it might show a lack of interest in God and His glory (or else a lack of appreciation for His sovereign control). An inquiry becomes sin only when there is impatience, anger, or some such dissatisfaction with the plans of the Lord. Curiosity is not wrong but frustration is. Our lives will be richer, I think, when we inquire of the plans of the Lord and His counsels—just don’t always expect an obvious answer.

These martyrs were not vindictive, but rather passionate about the holiness of God. Why did these people not desire the salvation of the wicked? Why did they desire vengeance? This gets into the unpleasant question of the eternal punishment of God. Hell, and those who will go there, were made for the glory of God (cf. Prov 16:4). It’s not exactly something any of us humans really want to ponder every day. However, the punishment of hell serves a very important purpose: It more clearly than anything else demonstrates the justice and holiness of God. It’s there because God cannot permanently wink at sin. All sin must be dealt with severely, for all sin is offensive to the Lord and detracts from His infinite glory.

And, if we are believers, we acknowledge that we deserve such just punishment. Furthermore, we recognize that God’s glory is at stake and all sin must be dealt with severely one Way or another way. Should we not then desire God’s holiness to be demonstrated in His righteous indignation being poured out on the vessels of wrath (cf. Rom 9:21-23)? We should have no desire to see any one individual eternally lost, but we should expectantly wait for the justice of God to be revealed from heaven . . . for His own name’s sake! If we are passionate about the glory of God, I believe this will become reality for us.

The response of God to these martyrs is interesting. “Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed” (Rev 6:11). God was longsuffering to the wicked. Only God knows when to end that time of being longsuffering, but He does have a specific time in mind. Other examples of His longsuffering to those doomed to destruction include the Amorites, who were to be destroyed by the Israelites (cf. Gen 15:16). God’s mercy is perfectly optional, yet He chooses to be abundantly generous with His mercy. That is why we call it longsuffering. We see then that God is intentionally longsuffering up to a precise point in time when He will no longer constrain His anger against evil. For most individuals that time is no more than ninety years.

The martyrs understood. They accepted God’s answer without question. They understood that God is merciful even to the wicked and that He has a set time for judgment. So, we too must accept God’s timing and all that happens in our lives, trusting that He is in control and that He is wisely executing His plans to most emphasize His glory.