ETERNAL JUDGMENT

 

Acts 17:31, Hebrews 9:27

Hebrews 6:1-2 mentions, among the rudiments of Christ's doctrine, eternal judgment. There is certainty in the Scriptures about God's judgment. The first thing we must understand about the final judgment is that it is inevitable. Regardless of how we interpret the Scriptures, "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). We all have a divine appointment with our Creator.

In the eternal judgment, God decides a person's reward or punishment for all eternity. According to Hebrews 6:2, we have a sentence or verdict that pronounces the outcome of a person's judgment, whether it be eternal life (1 John 5:11; John 3:36; 6:54; 10:28) or eternal death (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Hebrews 10:26-27; 9:27).

God says that people will be held accountable for all their deeds, including our secret sins. Even the words we have spoken will be judged (Ecclesiastes 11:9; 12:14; Matthew 12:36; Luke 12:3; 1 Corinthians 4:5). The Bible describes the final judgment as a time when all individuals will be held accountable for their actions. It is part of the ultimate restoration and fulfillment of God's kingdom. It emphasizes the seriousness of moral choices and the hope of divine justice.

THE CERTAINTY OF JUDGMENT:

The apostle Paul declares the certainty of eternal judgment in Hebrews 9:27: “Just as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this comes judgment,” that is, there is a certainty of God's judgment for us in the Scriptures. Jesus Christ will one day sit on the throne to judge, for He is the Judge of humanity. Acts 10:42 says that “he is the one God has appointed judge of the living and the dead,” and Paul confirms this by saying, “on the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ” (Romans 2:16). We will all face a judgment, whether at the Judgment Seat of Christ or at the Great White Throne.

If one thing is certain in Scripture, it is that all of us, without exception, will one day stand before God; that day is Judgment Day. No matter what generation or dispensation a person is from, we will all stand before God to be judged. We should not think that eternal judgment is not intended to determine whether we will be saved or not. From the moment we die, our destiny has already been decided, whether salvation or the loss of our soul.

When we die, we go to a temporary place; those who belong to Christ will go to heaven, and the wicked will go to hell to await the resurrection. There are many religious groups, and some brothers, who believe that when a person dies, their soul remains in an unconscious state of “soul sleep” until the resurrection. There are others who teach that all that die go to purgatory. If we are saved, we will participate in the first resurrection, the rapture. But if our soul is lost, we would have part in the second resurrection.

THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST: (II Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10-12)

What is the purpose and who will be at this judgment? All believers who were raptured will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. At this judgment the believers will be judged. We must keep in mind that this judgment is not for sins; all who are judged are already saved and will be with God for all eternity.

The word "judgment seat" used in II Corinthians 5:10 comes from the Greek word "Bema," which means "tribunal," or "seat of law." The judgment seat of Christ indicates a judgment of believers after the rapture of the church. The judge at this tribunal is Jesus Christ, and he determines the rewards for each believer according to their works.

The Bema was a raised platform where victorious athletes stood to receive their crown or prize. It is used as a place of judgment in Matthew 27:19, but in Corinthians it uses the analogy of athletes on a platform. The Corinthians had these platforms both to reward their athletes and to administer justice (Acts 18:12-16).

The resurrected saints will help judge the world. Just as we are being judged now, we will judge those who live and die throughout the Millennium. We will also judge the angels who rebelled against God under Lucifer (1 Corinthians 6:3; II Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Isaiah 14:12-15).

Everything a believer does in the body will have eternal consequences, and when we are told that what a believer does is good or bad, it is not in a moral sense; it refers to works of eternal value that will receive a reward at the judgment seat of Christ.

WORKS WORTHY OF REWARD AND WORKS THAT ARE BURNT: (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

In this chapter, the apostle Paul is talking about how the believer can build upon the foundation, which is Christ. He also mentions that fire will test the works of men and separate each of these works by quality, form, and type.

JESUS WILL DETERMINE THE WORKS WORTHY OF REWARD:

GOLD

Gold is related to the character formed in the believer in the furnace of affliction or tribulation; it has to do with our experience in the testing of our faith and patience. These works result from what has been dealt with in our lives through the testing of our faith (1 Peter 1:7; Job 23:10; Revelation 3:18).

SILVER

Silver has to do with the purification of the believer, a product of the refinement God performs in our lives.

PRECIOUS STONES

Precious stones are those values that have taken root in the Christian through decisions made under pressure, situations that have formed character in the midst of suffering, affliction, and adversity.

Gold, silver, and precious stones are works made by believers who are purified in the fire of trial. They grow, strengthen, and endure, shining, adorning God's house with talents from God, and under the anointing of the Spirit, He empowers them to work in His work.

WOOD, HAY, STUBBLE:

WOOD

Wood is the work of our hands. Many of us have natural talents, which is different from works under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We can have a natural talent for doing things, but without the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be tempted to idolize our own creativity, ability, and talent.

HAY

Hay or straw are works meant to impress. There is a certain appearance in what we do, but God looks at the heart, and that outward appearance we have formed will soon fade away.

STUBBLE

Likewise, stubble is something that must be removed to bear fruit in our lives.

Even if those works of wood, hay, and straw are burned, the believer will be saved, for what is being judged is not their saved or lost condition, but the works they did as a believer in Christ. Therefore, the Scripture says, "Take heed to yourselves, that you lose not the fruit of your labor, but that you may receive a full reward" (2 John 1:8).

WHAT IS THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT? (Revelation 20:11)

The Great White Throne Judgment is mentioned in Revelation 20:11. All those judged here are those who have participated in the second resurrection, that is, after the millennium (Revelation 20:5-6). None of the wicked is resurrected until the second resurrection for the Great White Throne Judgment.

IN THE WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, EACH ONE WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDING TO HIS AGE:

In this judgment, each person will be judged according to the age in which they lived; that is, judgment will be based on their works and the truth revealed in their time. Cain lived before the Law of Moses, Nebuchadnezzar before the Church Age; therefore, each person will be judged according to the dispensation or age in which they lived. Equity and justice will be dispensed in the judgment according to each period of time (Romans 2:11-15).