Jesus, The Righteous Judge

Introduction

I. Saints Will Be Judged For The Purpose Of Reward

A. Note The Period Of This Judgment

Note 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."

Also, read 1 Thessalonians 2:19, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

Read 1 Thessalonians 3:13, "To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."

James 5:8, "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

All of these verses listed above make reference to the "Parousia," or "coming" of Christ. The Greek word used here "denotes both an arrival and a consequent presence with" (W. E. Vine, M.A., Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words, published by Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey; pg. 208). These references clearly refer to the Rapture of the Church, at which time the Scriptures tell us, "so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thess.4: 17b). Are you ready to meet Him?

After church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was quizzing her mother. "Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?"

"Yes."

"Today?"

"Yes."

"In a few minutes?" "Yes, dear."

"Mommy, would you comb my hair?" Don Hussong

B. Note The Place Of This Judgment

Romans 14: 10 "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

We read in 2 Corinthians 5:10a, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ..."

The judgment that is referred to here is "The Judgment Seat of Christ." This term comes from the Greek word, "bema," which referred to the following, "A raised platform from which the umpires watched the Grecian games and later determined and rewarded the successful contestants. Paul thus speaks of the coming judgment seat of Christ as the place where believers are going to appear for the appraisal of their life and work accomplished while down here on earth. Charles Lee  Feinberg, Editor, Prophecy And The Seventies, published by The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois; quote taken from an article entitled, "The Judgment Seat Of Christ," by Stephen F. Olford, pg. 67.

According to Sale-Harrison, The "'bema' or 'reward seat'...was never used of a judicial bench" (J. Dwight Pentecost, Th.D., Things To Come, published by Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; pg. 220).

C. Note The People Of This Judgment

Romans 14:1-12, - In the same context in which Paul says, "...we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" and "...every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14: 10, 12), he  is clearly speaking to those who are "in the faith" (Romans 14: 1) and those who "are the Lord's" (Romans 14: 8).

Note 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, - Paul, speaking of the Bema Seat of Christ and the judgment of the saints' works, clearly points out whom he is referring to when he says, "...ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building" (I Corinthians 3:9b).

Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-13 - Again, in the same passage where Paul says, "...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ..." the context clearly indicates he is talking to the saints.

D. Note The Purpose Of This Judgment

Romans 14:12, "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

1. This Will Involve The Review Of Believers

The saints' motives will be examined.

As stated in 1 Corinthians 4:5, "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."

Stephen F. Olford exhorts us as follows: "Let us ever remember that the why of our life and service is as important as the what of our life and service" (Charles Lee Feinberg, Editor, Prophecy And The Seventies, published by The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois; quote taken from an article entitled, "The Judgment Seat Of Christ," by Stephen F. Olford, pg. 70). Cookie Jars

A little boy told a salesclerk he was shopping for a birthday gift for his mother and asked to see some cookie jars. At a counter displaying a large selection, the youngster carefully lifted and replaced each lid. His face fell as he came to the last one. "Aren't there any covers that don't make any noise?" he asked. Right motives should accompany right actions. Our Daily Bread, July 1, 1989

The saints' works will be evaluated.

We read in 1 Corinthians 3:12-13, "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."

Note 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (acceptable or worthless)."

2. This Will Involve The Reward Of Believers

Read 1 Corinthians 3:8,4, "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Those who overcome the "old man" will receive the "incorruptible crown" (I Corinthians 9: 25-27).

Those saints who have won others to Christ will receive the "crown of rejoicing" (1 Thess.2:19).

Those saints who have suffered and endured trials of persecution and testing for the cause of Christ will receive the "crown of life" (James 1: 12).

Those who have lived in loving expectation of Christ's return will receive the "crown of righteousness" (2 Tim.4:8).

Those pastors who have been faithful to feed God's flock will receive the "crown of glory" (1 Pet.5: 1- 4).

Crowns can be lost through carelessness and selfishness of life, according to Col.2:18, 1 John 2: 28, 2 John 8 and Rev.3:11.

II. Sinners Will Be Judged For the Purpose Of The Retrubution

A. The Tribulation

Those remaining after the rapture of the church will be thrust into the tribulation. The Church, all those saved during this present "Age of Grace," will be gone.

We read in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, "For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."

Note also 1 Thessalonians 5:9, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath (the Tribulation), but to obtain salvation (deliverance from it) by our Lord Jesus Christ,"

First Thessalonians was one of the first books of the New Testament to be written, and it was written in response to concerns of the Thessalonian church about the death of some of their loved ones.

This book emphasizes the Second Coming of Christ, the imminent return of Christ, the Tribulation, and other end-time topics.

The lost, those left behind after the rapture of the Church, will experience the wrath of God.

Matthew 24:21-22, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elects sake those days shall be shortened."

There will be seven "Seal Judgments." The first seal, A white horse (Rev. 6:1, 2).

This seal introduces the Antichrist upon the world scene. "The rider is said to have a bow but no arrows, indicating that although he is militarily strong, in the beginning he does his conquering by diplomacy" (Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Are We Living In The End Times?, published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, pg. 179). The peace that the Antichrist promises will of course be a false peace.

The second seal, A red horse (Rev. 6:3, 4).

As this seal is opened, the killing begins. The world will be thrown headlong into what could be described as World War III. Three kings will oppose the Antichrist, whom he will quickly crush with his military might. The aftermath of this war will be devastating upon the world population (Dan.7:8).

The third seal, A black horse (Rev. 6:5, 6).

One common aftermath of war is rampant inflation, as is implied by verse six above: "...A measure of wheat for a penny (a full day's wages), and three measures of barley for a penny..." But the black horse is also symbolic of famine and disease, which inevitably follow war.

The fourth seal, A pale horse (Rev. 6:7, 8).

The pale horse and its rider obviously represent death. As a result of World War III, and the famine and disease that follow in its wake, one fourth of the world's population will die. With our world's present estimated population of over six billion people, that means that well over one billion people will die during this time.

The fifth seal, The Martyrs (Rev. 6:9-11).

Right after the beginning of the Tribulation there will be many who turn to faith in Christ. Many of these will be saved as a result of the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses. However, the forces of the Antichrist will murder most of the Tribulation saints. As this fifth seal is opened, we are told that these martyred saints cry out for God to avenge their blood.

The sixth seal, A great earthquake (Rev. 6:12-17).

This earthquake will be of immeasurable magnitude, for John says that, "...every mountain and

island were moved out of their places" (Rev.6: 14b). Compounding the destructiveness of this event is John's allusion to massive volcanic eruptions, as well as meteor strikes that follow closely on the heels of the earthquake. John says that, "...the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood" (Joel 2: 30, 31; Rev. 6: 12). These visible phenomena are often observed after volcanic activity, because of the particulate matter (ash) that fills the atmosphere. Then John refers to "...stars of heaven..." falling to the earth (Rev. 6: 13), which is more than likely a reference to meteors striking the earth with tremendous force.

The seventh seal, The trumpet judgments begin (Rev. 8:1, 2).

As horrible as the Seal Judgments will be, the Trumpet Judgments will be worse. So terrible will be these judgments, that John says, "there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" (Rev. 8: 1), as all of heaven seems to pause in amazement at the severity and horror to follow.

There will be seven "Trumpet Judgments."

The first trumpet, Hail and fire mingled with blood rains down upon the earth (Rev. 8:7).

This judgment will produce incalculable ecological damage upon the earth. One third of all trees will be burned, and all of the earth's grass will burn. Add to this the stench of hot blood dripping from and lying on everything, and one can hardly imagine the horror that will fill the world's inhabitants. And this is only the first trumpet.

The second trumpet, A mountain of fire falls to earth (Rev. 8:8, 9).

This is probably an enormous flaming meteor, or perhaps an asteroid that slams into the earth's atmosphere and falls into the sea. However, this will not be a harmless chunk of rock that falls unnoticed from the heavens. It will turn one third of the sea to blood, killing a third of all sea life and destroying a third of the ships on the sea.

It is interesting to note that while I was studying for this message, I remembered an astronomy picture on which an astronomer explained a shot taken by the robot spacecraft Near, of asteroid 433 Eros. He referred to that asteroid as a floating mountain. There's no guarantee that Eros is the mountain John saw fall to the earth in his vision, but perhaps it will be something very much like it.

The World Health Organization says, "'nearly half of the world's people are affected by diseases related to insufficient and contaminated water'" (Ibid, pg. 187). One can only imagine the unsanitary conditions that will result from dead, rotting carcasses left floating in the sea after this catastrophe. Great plagues will result from this water, which turns to blood.

The third trumpet, A star called, Wormwood, falls to earth (Rev. 8:10, 11).

As an angel blows the third trumpet, another meteor falls to Earth. This time the sea is not affected, but a third of all the world's rivers and fountains are made bitter and poisonous. Many will die from this plague.

The fourth trumpet, A plague of darkness (Rev. 8:12).

This plague is reminiscent of the plague that came upon Egypt in Ex. 10:21, where we are told, "...Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt." Though we are not told exactly how God will perform this feat, He will somehow diminish the radiant light given off by the Sun, Moon, and all the heavenly bodies by a third.

The fifth trumpet, Locust from the bottomless pit attacks the people on earth (Rev. 9:1-11).

When the angel unlocks the bottomless pit, smoke rises from it like smoke from a furnace. And from the smoke come locusts with tails that sting like scorpions. Unlike locusts, they will not harm any vegetation. They are commanded to torment unregenerate men and women for five months.

The pain caused by these locusts will be unbearable. So great will be the pain that men and women will desire death, but death will flee from them. The very sight of these locusts will be horrifying and repulsive. Their appearance will be more fearsome than any creature from your worst horror film (Rev. 9:7-10).

Adding to the horror of this plague of locusts will be the fact that they will conduct themselves in a very orderly and methodical fashion. They will be lead by a fallen angel called, Apollyon (Gk) or Abaddon (Heb), which means "Destroyer."

The sixth trumpet, Four angels will be released, which will command a demonic army of 200 million (Rev. 9:13-19).

This army has but one purpose: to kill one third of the remaining population. Combine this with the one fourth of humanity already killed earlier during the seal judgments, and you will find that just over one half of the world's population will have been destroyed by this point in the Tribulation.

This army must not be confused with that mentioned in Rev. 16:12. For one thing, the army of Rev. 9:16 goes out during the middle of the Tribulation, whereas the army of Rev. 16:12 goes out at the end of the Tribulation. The army of Rev. 9:16 is demonic, whereas the army of Rev. 16:12 is human.

This army will be fearsome in its appearance. The riders will have breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone. The horses will have the body of a horse, but the head of a lion, and a tail with a serpent's head at the end. According to John, their power to kill will be "...in their mouth, and in their tails..." (Rev. 9:19). This army of 200 million will specifically target the unsaved of the earth (Rev. 9:20, 21).

The seventh trumpet: Loud voices of praise erupt in heaven, in anticipation of Christ's victory over the Antichrist (Rev. 11:15-19).

The seventh trumpet is like the seventh seal in that it introduces the next series of judgments to befall the earth. Those on earth are now at the halfway point of the Tribulation Period. But believe it or not, the next three and a half years will be even worse than the first three and a half years. It is this second half of the Tribulation that Jesus referred to as, "Great Tribulation" (Matt. 24:21).

There will be seven "Bowl Judgments."

The first bowl, Sores cover those having the Mark of the Beast (Rev. 16:2).

The idea here is that those having the Mark of the Beast will be afflicted with malignant ulcers, much like those that plagued Egypt in Exodus 9:9-11. The bodies of those bearing the Mark of the Beast will be covered with inflamed pustules.

The second bowl: The entire sea turns to blood (Rev. 16: 3).

The magnitude of this plague almost defies one's ability to comprehend. Earlier, God had turned a third of the sea into blood. Now however, all of the waters in the sea become like the blood of a dead man-in other words, stinking, putrid, and coagulated. Every living thing in the sea will die, and their decaying corpses will rise to the surface. The stench will be unimaginably nauseating.

The third bowl, All rivers and springs turn to blood (Rev. 16:4-7).

By this point in the Tribulation, the Antichrist and his followers will have murdered countless millions of believers. This plague seems to be God's way of saying, "You like blood? Good. You will have blood to drink" (Rev. 16: 5, 6). This plague is also in answer to the prayer of the martyrs in Rev. 6: 10, when they prayed, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

The fourth bowl, The sun scorches men (Rev. 16:8, 9).

Added to the lack of water will be the misery of increased heat from the sun. This increased heat will literally begin to sear the flesh of earth's inhabitants. In spite of this painful plague, rather than taking responsibility for their sin, and repenting before God, they will curse God and continue on in their rebellion.

The fifth bowl, Darkness falls upon the Beast's kingdom (Rev. 16:10, 11).

This particular plague is focused upon the kingdom of the Beast, as though God is supernaturally pointing out where the source of the world's problem lies. The darkness seems to exacerbate the pain and suffering which they have been experiencing from the previous plagues of the earlier bowl judgments. The darkness permits nothing to divert their minds from the tremendous heat, the thirst in their parched throats, and the agony and putridness of their running ulcers all over their bodies.

The sixth bowl, The Euphrates River dries up (Rev. 16:12).

Most scholars believe the term "...kings of the east..." (Rev. 16:12), refers to China and other Asian countries, such as Japan, Taiwan, and perhaps the Philippines, who will either be in league with China or under her control at this particular time during the Tribulation. They will travel down the dried up Euphrates riverbed to meet with the forces of Antichrist in the valley of Megiddo, where they will try in vain to blow Jesus out of the sky, as He returns with His saints to set up His Millennial Kingdom.

The seventh bowl, The mother of all earthquakes occurs (Rev. 16:17-21).

This earthquake will be greater than any before it, for the Bible says it will be "...such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great" (Rev. 16:18). So destructive will be this earthquake that all the islands disappear and the mountains and cities of the earth are leveled. The topography of the physical earth will be a total shambles.

Babylon, the headquarters and capital of the Antichrist, will be struck especially hard by this earthquake. It will be broken into three parts (Rev. 16:19); and before God's through, it will be totally obliterated, just as was predicted in Isa. 13:19, Jer. 51:8, and Rev. 18:8, 17-19. All of these scriptures speak of the city being totally destroyed by fire. This is interesting when one considers the fact that the city of Babylon sits atop a vast pool of bituminous asphalt and pitch only ten feet under the  surface of the earth. This city is going to burn like one massive blowtorch.

As if all of this was not bad enough, "Enormous hailstones weighing about 135 pounds each rain  out of the sky, striking men all over the planet" (Ibid, pg. 219). Even then, survivors will curse God and refuse to repent of their sins (Rev.16: 21).

Tim LaHaye theorizes that at the end of the Tribulation, less than 500,000,000 people will still be living on the earth when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom (Ibid, pg. 179). That's a sobering thought.

B. The Great White Throne

The Unsaved Dead Are Sentenced At The Great White Throne.

Rev.20:4, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 A But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished..."

1. This Judgment Will Strictly Involve Lost People

Revelation 20:12a & 12d, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God...and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books..."

Revelation 20:5, 12, & 13 all refer to this particular group of people as "the dead." This does not refer to their physical state since they have just been resurrected to stand before God in judgment. These are those who are yet "...dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph.2: 1). They have had the opportunity to receive eternal life in Christ, but have squandered that opportunity. Now it is too late.

2. This Judgment Will Determine The Degree Of Their Punishment

Revelation 20:12b, "...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.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."

Romans 2:5, "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:"

3. God Then Passes Sentence Upon The Lost, And Commits Them To Their Eternal Prison

Revelation 20:14, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Folks, it is one thing to stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but quite another to stand before Him at the Great White Throne. One means eternal life, while the other means eternal death and separation from God. But one thing is certain: Everyone under the sound of my voice will stand in one place or the other someday-Heaven or Hell. The time to decide is now.