LESSON 6 ESCHATOLOGY THE FINAL JUDGMENT


LESSON 6 ESCHATOLOGY THE FINAL JUDGMENT


THE FINAL JUDGMENT






If there is, and I believe there is not, a SPIRITUAL MILLENNIUM, then there is no Rapture, no Tribulation, there is no more Israel, and no literal resurrection of the Righteous.

 

Read Revelation 20.11-15

 

Scriptural evidence for a final judgment (Rev 20:11-15; Acts 17:30-31; Rom 2:5) 

 

This final judgment is the culmination of many precursors in which God rewarded righteousness or punished unrighteousness throughout history. 

“Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment”      

(2 Pet. 2:9-10) 

 

Re 20:12

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

 

 

THE BOOKS

 

The Books: where God records the events of our lives and how He inspected the history of people’s lives.

 

The unbelieving will be judged.

 

Book Of Life – those who have been saved and then an evaluation of what they have done. Balance… it is not what one has done to be evaluated for salvation, but whether or not their names were written in the book of life and then they are evaluated on what they’ve done. 

 

For what purpose? 

 

There is Something profound about how we live our lives that matters How we go about our daily lives in Him.

 

There was Blessing on those who lived faithfully Noah, Abraham, Jacob, David, and judgment on those who didn’t.

 

Judgment on those who didn’t live faithfully  Acknowledging God - The Fall, Flood, Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Israel into exile.

 

And God has just set up the world to work in this manner. Those who live corrupt and sinful lives will find their lives progressively destroyed. 

 

There are Hundreds of little sayings:

“Honesty is the best policy”, 

“What goes around comes around.”

“Karma” 

“You reap what you sew…”

“That’s what you get…”

“Told ya so…”

“It is what it is”

This is just the secular world noticing the way God set things up to be.

 

How you act does have consequences. 

 

Not always visible, but in general those who do live evil lives generate heavy consequences and those who live moral lives end up with better consequences.


Further, regarding the consequences of sinful living. It is a form of the wrath of God against all sin. The wrath of God against all ungodliness in the world is one of the small ways that God forewarns of final judgment to come…His current wrath is an act of Mercy! 

 

Yes, it is. Everything that goes wrong for mankind when they make sinful choices is not just for an immediate temporal consequence, but in a way, it functions as a particular act of God’s mercyin that He is teaching and warning mankind of a future ultimate judgment

 

A principle of sin: When sin is sewn, it usually yields its consequences LATER and GREATER. Just like any seed that is planted – it will yield in its season and yield more than the one seed that was planted.

 

These are small ways that God forewarns of final judgment to comean act of God’s Mercy!

 

These are small ways that God forewarns of final judgment to come, cont.

 

Hos 8.7

For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.

 

The fretful thought concerning these ordained ways of “tit for tat”, sewing reaping, is that not only in this life do people face heavy headwinds and hard consequences, is that it will ultimately cost them in eternity…even though they have ignored the “marquis warnings” pointing toward final judgment. 

 

Consequences are an allusion to something GREATER! The Final Judgment for the wicked.

 

Everything that goes wrong for mankind when they make sinful choices is not just for an immediate temporal consequence, but in a way, it functions as a particular act of God’s mercyin that He is teaching mankind of a future ultimate judgment.

 

The Fact of Final Judgment (There are many “precursors” of judgments and rewards, but this is the final one) – for those evil deeds that were not captured or considered by lawful institutions, and sinfulness that was made legal (abortion, homosexual marriage, individual quests and deeds for authenticity, identity, and autonomy apart from God, governments that slaughter their people, sinful and irresponsible stewardship of taxes taken from its people, corrupt vote counting, under the table deals…etc.) Will come to bear at the Final Judgment! 

NOTHING will be overlooked.

 

Act 17.30-31

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man (Jesus) whom he has appointed; and of this he (Jesus) has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’’

 

Rom 2.5

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

 

Two ways we can look at this:

 

1. I wish God wouldn’t be so harsh…what about this God of Love? OR,

 

2. Thank you God that you are fair and just and that you are keeping track and you will bring account of every evil. Somebody is taking heed. It is in us to seek righteousness which means evil is not ignored.

 

2Pe 2:9* then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

 

Differing opinions on the Judgment

 

Is there more than one judgment?

 

Dispensationalists talk about differing judgments


1. A judgment of the nations to determine who enters the millennium when Christ comes

Matt 25.31-46 (not the final judgment)

‘‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

 32* Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats….

 

2. Another judgment is the (Greek word) “Bema” what believers have done in the body (rewards) The time for this may be during any of the three stages of the First Resurrection.

2 Cor 5.10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

 

Questionabout the “Bema”

 

If I died today, do I go directly to the Judgment seat of rewards? Or will I have to wait for a “Long Time” until it occurs for all Christians at once?

 

This is not addressed in Scripture, but

 

I think it will happen immediately…either at the moment I die and am in His presence, at the Rapture or at the end of the Tribulation.

How can I be with Him and it not be addressed?

 

3. Then a Great White Throne Judgment

Rev 20.11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. (To declare eternal punishment for unbelievers)

 

There are counter opinions.

 

There is only One judgment referenced by all passages

After the millennium when satan is released and then defeated

Finally, all nations and peoples and tribes will be gathered before the Seat.

All happens at the same time.

 

But doesn’t seem to mention that a judgment is presupposing the millennium – it seems to be talking about the final time not a preparatory event for the millennium. It seems to have finality.

 

Matt 25.34, 41, 46

34. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdomprepared for you from the foundation of the world.

41* ‘‘Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’’

 

When will this final judgment occur?

 


 

After this Present church age, then

“the tribulation”, then

Christ returns, 1000 yr millennium, then

satan is released to deceive the nations, then

Jesus defeats them decisively and then the judgment.

Rev 20.7-11

 

What will this judgment be like?

 

2 Tim 4.1

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:

 

Acts 10.42

And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

 

Jn 5.26-27

26* For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

27* And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

 

Jesus has authority to judge Man because He is the Son of Man.

He is The God-Man – He is God in order to Divinely and Sovereignly judge and He is Man to judge man.

 

Unbelievers will be Judged.

 

It Will include degrees of punishment

Lk 12.47f

 

Believers will be reunited with their bodies and possibly unbelievers as well at the last judgment. (Those believers after the 1st Resurrection)

 

Believers will be judged  “Oh, no

 

Rom 14.12

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

2 Cor 5.10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

 

Yikes! I thought all was settled at the cross. Everything was judged there.

 

What does the Believers “Judgment” look like?

 

“Nope!”  Don’t look at it this way, rather, see it as finally everything I did for Christ matters to Him. Nothing I did for Him was frivolous activity. Everything I did for Him in secret – every extra little thing I did to keep life in order as a servant to him – counts. 

 

It should be an encouragement! He will reward us for every little thing seen and UNSEEN according to the sacrifice and attitude in which it was done. Your service to the Master will not go unrewarded. You will experience His good pleasure at that time. 

 

It shouldn’t cause us to fear – but should cause us to be careful. 

His purpose is not to humiliate us or publicly shame us or to create a disdain from others when they hear it.

 

Others may say, “Oh, gosh, I didn’t know that’s what he was doing or thinking…all those years I was deceived…”, but His purpose is to reward and give blessing.

 

This just doesn’t mean only on “gospel outreach” but includes 

 

The faithful duties of a father who has sacrificed and provided lovingly for his family

Every mother who has spent unending watchful hours over their children. 

 

Any loneliness, any persecution, any personal denial for Christ’s sake, any additional responsibilities, or any hardships I took on for what I felt was for gaining Christ – will not go unnoticed in that day.

 

It will be a day when believers are rewarded. And

Unbelievers are punished

Their punishment is not meant to be correctional discipline to yield confession or reconciliation. It is meant to be pure punishment, destruction, and exile.

 

Rev 11.18

The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.’’

 

This is the Time when the Supreme Judge of the World shows us how it’s done.

This is the Time when Hope is restored, and we see Justice with our own eyes that God never missed a thing.

 

This is the Time when everything we let go knowing that one day God will execute the vengeance that He told us not to take ourselves.

 

Will the secret words, thoughts, and sins of believers be revealed on the last day? (But be revealed as forgiven sins?)

 

There are some verses that may lead one to think that:

 

Col 3.25

For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

 

1Co 3:13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. (“Testing” is not the same as destruction and exile)

 

1 Cor 4.5

Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation (praise) from God.

 

But aren’t there verses that say:

 

Ps 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

 

Isa 38:17 Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. (How can he still see them?)

 

Mic 7:19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sinsinto the depths of the sea. (Why would He fish them out again?)

 

Heb 8.12

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.’’ (How can He remember again?)

2Co 5:17* Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the newhas come.

 

Ps 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (I thought I was no longer dirty)

 

Isa 1:18 ‘‘Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

 

1 Cor 3.13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 

Maybe he will just show us that some of the things we did were worthless – we may know that now already – but others may not, it’s always good to bring openness and to know what’s right. If one has built his life or ministry on sand for one’s own glory, it must be checked and revealed, or else truth is at risk

 

If one had children and didn’t pour their lives into them; did not bring them up in the nurture and admonish of the Lord…It will be a flash and be gone. 

 

If a spouse was harsh, unloving, or contributing to a marriage that over time dissolved into a relationship of simple toleration of the otheror ended in divorce flashand gone.

If He doesn’t address them as wrong, then they may be retained as okay.

 

If He does this at the judgment, it may be more like, “Here’s a pile of works that were straw – okay now they’re gone” – maybe like when we separate our fruit or vegetables before we have dinner…removing the stems and leaves, worms, etc. before we set a table with them.

 

“As through fire” – Fire in my house and I grab what I can and what about all that stuff I left behind… sorry, it’s all burned up.

 

It may also be the time when all our, “Whys” are answered. 

God, why did this happen…?”

“God, why did you let this take place?...” 

“Please let me now see the good from this tragedy through which I trusted You”

 

I will understand that when I made this decision or that decision that took me this way or that way in life…as well as all the people within my circle of influence that were affected by my decisions and even the generations beyond of which I never could have considered… what was the value of my existence?

 

I will see then how vast a networking web of significances were paved from my works in the flesh – I will find out then that it was my works that were the epicenter for the cascading events to follow for many generations to come. Every decision we make are the roots for future generations to come.

 

Americans, in particular, are pitiful for living for instant gratification and never giving “tomorrow” a second thought.

 

He will bring this to light.

 

This is when all the pieces of the puzzle come together, and everything will make sense. We agonize and we struggle sometimes in tears to figure out why. This is the time when it all comes together.

 

This is when all my faith becomes sight.

 

One may say, “I don’t serve Christ for reward – that is corrupted motivation – I don’t need to be recognized for selflessly serving my Master” – that is an arrogant position to take.

 

Fine, but the rewards may not be entirely for your recognition… it will first serve glory to God in showing how from my marginality, He brought centrality to Himself

 

It will show how imminent God was in everyone’s life and just how present He was in every detail and every iota. 

 

We will learn in that day how He providentially steered our lives in a million ways unknown through His preserving and forbearing, mighty right hand.

 

This day will be about His Glory!

 

This future judgment of believers could also be true for the aspects of blessings and rewards… I will never know until that day of how many generations and nations beyond me were blessed and preserved because of one faithful, obedient deed that I committed to do for the sake of Christ.

Or that will be the time when I see upon what chain of circumstance, perhaps a hundred years before my birth, how my salvation had already been set to order by someone else’s act of service to Christ.

 

My life as ordered by God will finally have complete context.

 

OR, even more, there was no signal in history that I would ever, ever be set on a path of salvation but for some sovereign act of a loving merciful God full of grace and truth – He plucked me out of the rubble and made me alive together with Christ.

Don’t I dare try to steel God’s glory during the day of rewards with some false humility!

This is GOD’S TIME TO BE ON DISPLAY!

 

Doesn’t this seem to be about my sins, 

“They are all gone? Aren’t they?”

 

How can God NOT remember our Sins? He is Omniscient. 

 

It probably means He won’t bring them up again. He will not bring them to account.

 

 

 

 

There is no chance of God saying

“Hey, do you remember what you did on Tuesday, September 15, 2017, now grieve about that for a few weeks – now here’s another thing….” 

That’s just not heaven. Our sins are old things and if when we sin in the future, they are also covered under the same crucifixion from the past. 

 

Angels will be judged! 

Angels who became demons?

 

2 Pet 2.4

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.

 

Jude 6

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

 

Angels will be judged! 

Angels who are now serving God?

 

1 Cor 6.3

Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

 

We will have part in evaluating angels – somehow.

 

1 Cor 6.2

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

 

Christ does not leave judging the world totally to Himself. He has given some of it to us.

Rev 20.4

 

Let’s ask some Questions

 

But what about David’s sins recorded forever – a murderer and adulterer? 

Moses a murderer, 

Abraham sacrificing his own wife by giving her up as a “sex slave” to save his own neck, (and not to mention an entire Islamic Race from Hagar and Ishmael) 

Isaac the same thing, 

Jacob the deceiver, 

they are forgiven in Christ, though recorded.

 

Look at what God did!

He recorded the sins of the righteous and I thought they were forgiven.

How do I know I won’t be treated like this at the Judgment?

 

What was the Purpose for this? 

But the purpose was not to humiliate them, but to correct them. Some of the sins these individuals committed changed the course of history (it was here that history pivoted in another direction) and they are recorded to pinpoint the crisis of the moment to let all see why things went in the direction they did and how God brings about forgiveness and can providentially turn a bad thing in life to good things in life. 

 

It is to transform our thinking into how God can providentially over-rule in destructive behavior. 

 

Remember, God the Righteous Judge is the STANDARD Himself for all righteousness.

If He doesn’t address them, then He has created a new standard beneath Himself.

 

Abraham reminds us in Gen 18.25:

Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

 

What are these rewards that are talked about?

 

1 Cor 3.14f

If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

 

Saving this answer until our Lesson on Heavenbut...

For now - The Bible is not clear what the rewards will be – maybe levels of responsibility.

 

Why is there a final judgment? Why not just end it all with our final destination?

 

1. Even though we may recoil at the thought of judgment, there is still something within us that seeks fairness. We want what is right to win. We want something to be done and declared for the sake of justice. We cringe when we see a corrupt judicial system make horrid rulings, We want what’s right to prevail. 

 

And we want what is right as a declaration of justice to end it all – all disputing is put to rest. The innocent to be set free and the guilty to be convicted. 

At the final judgment, we will finally say, “Wow, this is fair, just and right”. 

We will praise God at the final judgment. 

 

This satisfies our need for justice in the end. 

I can relax now when we are tread upon because God will one day judge this fairly. 

It won’t go away until He says it will go away.

 

There is a Necessity of final judgment.
Rather than letting God find out the condition of our hearts, the final judgment 

“Will serve the purpose rather of displaying before all rational creatures the declarative glory of God in a formal, forensic act, which magnifies on the one hand His holiness and righteousness, and on the other hand, His grace and mercy. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that the judgment at the last day will differ from that of the death of each individual in more than one respect. It will not be secret, but public; it will not pertain to the soul only, but also to the body; it will not have reference to a single individual, but to all men.” 

Louis Berkhof 

2. There is an accountability coming. Every wrong deed in the universe is known.

God will settle ALL accounts.

 

Col 3.25

For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

 

3. It enables us to forgive others freely.

 

Rom 12.19

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’’

 

God will deal with the unjust deeds that others have transgressed against us. I can rest. Forgiving others sets me free but doesn’t let them off the hook.

 

*We can relax or “stand-down” when we consider acts against us of hatred, disregard, shame, mistreated, favoritism, racism, barbarism, -ism’s, and there seems to be no recourse, say, “Lord, wrong was done and I know you see this and I give that into your hands…will you take care of that, I give it to you”. And I am released from feeling like I must pay back that one who did me so wrong. You are just, it will all be taken care of. And I might then even be able to pray for them.

 

1 Pet 2.22-23

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

 

Additionally, when we are wronged – yes, it hurts, but are we spiritually or fleshly minded? Do we not just give it over to God and acknowledge in our hearts that He will deal with it, but do we ask God to save them. What if He does and we are the only ones who hold that transgression against them…

 

4. It provides motivation for evangelism.

 

Eze 33:11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

 

2 Pet 3.9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

 

Eze 33:11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

 

 

 

2 Pet 3.9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

 

Final Judgment hasn’t come yet – invite others to church and take hold of the opportunities to share Christ.

 

WHAT IS Eternal Punishment

 

An Everlasting, conscious, punishment of those who have rebelled against God.

 

Luke 16

Read the account of the rich man and Lazarus.

 

Rev 14.9-11

9* And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘‘If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,

10* he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

11* And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.’’

12* Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

 

Rev 19.1-3

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

2* for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’’

3* Once more they cried out, ‘‘Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.’’

 

Rev 20.10

and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Matt 25.41

‘‘Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

 

Hell cannot be ignored or denied.

The wicked will not be annihilated – “destruction” does not mean non-existent.

 

It is not inconsistent of the Love of God.

 

There is evil that must be punished.

 

Some may say, “It is unjust – “People committed sin in time, how can they be punished eternally?

 

We must not then understand the hideousness of the evil of sin. We may not expect to see that those who are eternally punished will go on blaspheming and cursing God throughout all eternity. They will not relent. They will not repent. And God knows this. Their judgment will be perfectly fit and fair to each one.

 

Additionally, the sin we committed was against an Eternal God. What other punishment would one expect but an eternal punishment?

 

How can we say that the universe with its new heavens and new earth is not marred with Hell in existence? It does not mar the universe.

 

When God punishes evil, what is on display is:

 

The glory of God’s justice, righteousness, and God’s power to triumph over all opposition will be seen. 

 

If He does not judge, He will ever be seen as one who has struggled throughout the ages trying to keep things in some order and not letting things get too far out of hand and trying so hard to make things right, but in the end, He cannot ultimately prevail. And the new heavens and new earth will always be threatened by enemies outside the gate. 

 

There will be a perpetual cycle of win-lose throughout eternity. God’s people will always be at risk to fall to the evil one. Rather, if one dust particle is out of place in God’s universe, then He is not God and we’ve been pawns in some kind of fantastic cosmic game between the powers of good and the powers of evil.

 

This is a hard reality. And, just as we have in us a desire to see justice, we also have the desire to love and have compassion-none of which is incompatible with the other.

Eternal punishment is not unfair or unjust.

 

Every single person and being in hell will know that they are there justly. They will clearly know that they deserve exactly what a Good and Holy God has decreed.


LInk to 

LESSON 7 HEAVEN


https://walkingtruth.blogspot.com/2022/09/lesson-7-heaven.html

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