The Final Judgement
This article will be discussing the final judgement of God. It's pretty sobering to think that every single person that has ever lived will face a full accounting of his or her life before God. The judgement is an important topic. Almost every Bible writer wrote about it. Let's begin by looking at the three phases of the judgement.
First Phase of the Final Judgement
1 Peter 4:17--"Judgement must begin at the house of God."
Revelation 22: 11, 12--"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let
him be filthy still: and he taht is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let
him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every
man according as his work shall be."
It will end just before the second coming of Jesus. This first phase of the
judgement will include those who claim to be Christians (living and dead). At the
judgement, who is the defense attorney? The accuser? Witnesses?
Daniel 7: 9, 10--"The Ancient of days did sit,...his throne was like the fiery flame." "The
judgement was set, and the books were opened."
1 John 2:1--"We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
John 5:22--"The Father...hath committed all judgement unto the Son."
Revelation 3:14--"These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of
the creation of God."
Revelation 12: 9,10--"The Devil,...the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night."
God the Father, presides over the judgement. Satan is our accuser. Jesus will
be our attorney, judge and witness. He promises that the judgement will be "given in
favor of the saints" (Daniel 7:22).
How will we be judged? What evidence will be used against us and why have a judgement anyway if God knows everything?
Daniel 7:10--"The judgement was set, and the books were opened."
Revelation 20:12--"The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works."
James 2:12--"They ...shall be judged by the law of liberty."
1 Corinthians 4:9--"We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men."
All the details of everyone's life who has every lived are written down in the
books of heaven. Your record of prayer and faithfulness will also be recorded. The
books will show everything, both good and bad, about our lives.
The Ten Commandments is God's standard in the judgement (James 2:10-12).
God already knows everything about us, but there is a judgement so that the whole
universe, including the angels and other worlds, can see that God is fair in everything
He does.
What part of our lives will be considered and how will rewards be decided?
Ecclesiastes 12:14--"God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
Matthew 13: 30, 41--"Let both [wheat and tares] grow together until the harvest." "The
Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things
that offend."
Revelation 22:12--"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be."
All details of your life will be reviewed. There are no secrets kept from God.
This phase of the judgement is also called the investigative judgement because everything
is learned. It will confirm those who will be saved who claimed to be Christians.
Rewards will be given according to your Christian deeds and conduct (James 2:26).
Second Phase of the Final Judgement
1 Corinthians 6: 2,3--"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? ...Know ye
not that we shall judge angels?"
Revelation 20:4--"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given
unto them."
The saints of all ages who Christ takes to heaven will participate in this phase of
the judgement. The life of every lost person will be reviewed, including Satan and his
angels, to make sure that there is no mistake, and the righteous will agree that Jesus
made wise decisions concerning each case.
Third Phase of the Final Judgement
Zechariah 14: 4,5,10--"His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is
before Jerusalem." "And the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee." "All
the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem."
Revelation 21:2--"And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven."
Revelation 20: 7, 8--"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall...go out to
deceive the nations...to gather them together to battle."
This phase of the judgement will be on earth. At the close of the 1,000 years in
heaven (Revelation 20), Jesus and the saints will return to earth with the holy city. All the
wicked, including Satan, will be there.
At the end of the 1,000 years, all of the
wicked dead from all time are raised (Revelation
20:5) and Satan launches a campaign to deceive
everyone. He succeeds in convincing the people
that they can capture God's holy city.
What happens next?
Revelation 20:9--"They went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of
the saints about, and the beloved city."
The wicked will surround the city and prepare to attack it.
What suddenly interrupts the efforst of the wicked?
Revelation 20:12--"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their
works."
2 Corinthians 5:10--"We must all appear before the
judgement seat of Christ."
Romans 14: 11,12--"As I live, saith the Lord, every
knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess
to God. So then every one of us shall give account of
himself to God."
God will appear and the wicked will be paralyzed with His brightness and glory.
The moment of truth has come. Every lost soul now faces judgement. Each lost soul
will see his past life before him. God's pleading to come to Him, calls to repentance.
All the books are opened and the whole universe can see that God is just.
The wicked discover their mistake and admit their wickedness. They all, including
Satan and his angels, fall prostrate before God and admit that He was more than fair with
them.
But, that will not be the end. Sin must be dealt with. What will be the final steps to
eradicate sin from the universe to provide a secure home for the righteous?
Revelation 20: 9,10--"They...compassed the camp of the saints about,...and fire came
down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire."
Malachi 4:3--"For they [the wicked] shall be ashes under the soles of your feet."
Isaiah 65:17--"Behold, I create new heavens and
a new earth."
2 Peter 3:13--"Look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Revelation 21:3--"Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, ...and they shall be his people, and
God himself shall be with them."
God will send fire down from heaven to eradicate sin and sinners forever. This will
be a time of great sadness to God's people but, eventually, He will take our sadness away
and create a new heaven and a new earth for His redeemed people. He will live with His
people for all eternity. Who would want to miss that?
What good news about the judgement have we learned from this article?
A. God's manner of handling sin will be vindicated before the universe.
B. Judgement will be decided in favor of God's people.
C. The righteous will be safe from sin for all time.
D. Sin will be completely eradicated.
E. Everything that Adam and Eve lost by sinning will be restored.
F. The wicked will be turned to ashes, not burned for eternity.
G. Jesus is our judge, attorney, and witness in the judgement.
H. The Father and Son love us. Only the devil is our accuser.
I. The heavenly books will show the righteous how the gospel changed their lives.
J. There is no condemnation for Christ's children.
K. No one will ever complain that God is unfair. Everyone will agree that God has
been a loving and gracious God.
Now that you know how the judgement will occur, don't you want to be on the winning side? Balance your options: Turn to Jesus now, confess your sins, and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, and live forever. Or, be totally eradicated for eternity. Hmmm, let's see....I'll choose Jesus.
