THE JUDGMENT
A. THE BIBLE TEACHES
- That God has appointed a day:
- To judge the world - 1 Cor. 6:2; Rev. 20:4
- The just and the unjust - 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Pet. 2:9; Acts 24:25; 1 Pet. 4:17
- The judgment of God will include:
- The righteous dead and the wicked dead - Rev. 11:18, 19; 20:11, 12; 1 Pet. 4:17, 18
- It will end with the righteous living and the wicked dead. Use the above Bible references and also Rev. 20:4-6; Dan. 7:8-10
- Our Lord gives very strong emphasis to the judgment to come:
- Matt. 5:21, 22
- John 5:22, 27; 9:39; 12:31
B. BIBLE FACTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE JUDGMENT
- The time:
- God has appointed a day.
- It is, without a doubt, a prophetic day. Compare Acts 17:31 with Rev. 11:18; 14:6, 7
- Books:
- The book of record - Ps. 87:1-6; 139:16; Rev. 20:12; Job and Jeremiah understood this truth - Jer. 2:22; Ps. 56:8; 87:1- 6; 139:16
- A book of remembrance for the righteous - Mal. 3:16, 17; Job 14:17
- The book of life - Rev. 20:12; Luke 10:20; Phil. 4:3
- The angels are the recorder - Gen. 18:20; Eccl. 5:5
- That fact ought to sober us and help us to realize the seriousness of life - 2 Cor. 5:8-10
- Rule in the judgment:
- The Ten Commandments - Eccl. 12:13; Jas. 1:22, 23; 2:10, 11
- The gospel preached by Paul - Rom. 2:16; 2 Thess. 2:9
C. THREE PHASES OF THE JUDGMENT
- The investigative judgment:
- The wedding guests - Matt. 22:12
- Experience of Belshazzar - Dan. 5:27; 7:8-11; Rev. 11:18; 20:11
- The judgment of the wicked, when the just shall sit in judgment: Dan. 7:21-23; 1 Cor. 6:1-3; Rev. 20:4
- The executive phase of the judgment:
- The giving of the reward to the righteous - Luke 14:14; Rev. 11:18
- The giving of the wages of sin to the wicked - Rev. 20:5-10; Dan. 7:13; Matt. 24:31
- How will it affect you and me?
- It will be according to the record we have made in this present life? Gal. 6:6, 7; 2 Cor. 5:10
- We still have it in our power to have the judgment in our
favor -
- That is the message by Peter - Acts 3:19-21
- That was the message of Paul and Daniel - Dan. 4:27; Acts 24:25
- Our accepting Jesus Christ and His righteousness will make the difference - Rom. 8:1-3
- We have this assurance by God himself - Rom. 8:31-33
- Today, we still have opportunity to determine our destiny:
- That is the admonition of Paul - 2 Cor. 6:1-3; Heb. 3:7-9
- It is up to us to accept or reject God's plan for our salvation - Rev. 22:17