The water was getting hotter and hotter and the hatred for Jesus was boiling after He deliberately healed a lame man on the Sabbath. The man hadn’t even asked to be healed. Jesus was accused of violating the Sabbath, and making Himself equal to God. To make matters worse, Jesus told them that one day He would be their Judge (John 5:22, 23). Believe it or not, one day everyone will bow down to the Lord Jesus Christ and admit that He is the God-man (Philippians 2:9-11; See Psalm 2). However, this does not mean that everyone will eventually be saved. This heresy is known as “Universalism.”
Accountable. Many people live their lives without realizing that someday they will give an account of themselves to the God-man (Romans 14:12). Every human being who has died, from the beginning of time, will be raised from the dead by the Lord Jesus Christ, who is omnipotent (Revelation 1:8), and participate in different resurrections and judgments (1 Corinthians 15:20-24, 51, 52). Do you know in which one you will participate and what the outcome of it might be?
The Judge. Not only is Jesus the only Savior who offers salvation (i.e. deliverance from hell to heaven) to all mankind (John 3:16), God the Father made Him the Judge whom everyone will face someday (John 5:22, 23; Hebrews 9:27). Jesus is omniscient and knows everything there is to know about us, including our thoughts and motives (John 2:24; 1 Corinthians 4:5). He is the righteous Judge and cannot be bribed or made to do something unjust (2 Timothy 4:8). He is the truth and will speak the truth about our true condition (John 14:6). Being omnipotent (Revelation 1:8), He can and will cast all unbelievers into the lake of fire to suffer forever (Matthew 7:21-23; 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:15; 21:8), and He will take to heaven all true Christians who have placed their faith in Him alone for their salvation (John 14:1-3). We are not saved by our good works (Ephesians 2:9; Titus 3:5). God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). He desires and wants everyone, from all the nations on earth, to come to Him for salvation (1 Timothy 2:4). If you’re a Christian, what are you doing to get the Gospel to them so they can be saved?
The Judgments
Confusion. Many people believe in the annihilation of the wicked or in reincarnation. Neither of these are taught in the Scriptures. Some people have the mistaken idea that there will be just one general resurrection and judgment at the end of time to determine if one gets into heaven or not. There is an old song that tells people to forget their troubles, get happy, chase all their cares away. Shout Hallelujah and get ready for judgment day. But wouldn’t their joy or sorrow depend on whether a person goes to heaven or hell?
Cross. God the Father demonstrated His love for sinful humanity by sending His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this earth to die for all our sins (“once for all” Hebrews 10:10)…and rise again bodily from the dead on the third day (Isaiah 53:6; John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4; Luke 24:39). God the Son willingly went to the cross to take our place as the Just One for us, the unjust ones (John 10:14-18; 1 Peter 3:18). God promises eternal life (i.e. God’s quality of life) right now to any and all who will put their faith in Him alone for their salvation (1 John 5:13). Those who reject Him and His plan of salvation are under condemnation right now (John 3:18, 36). If you don’t believe on Him before you die physically, you will be eternally separated from Him in the lake of fire. You and I have no guarantee that we will be alive tomorrow (James 4:14). “There is therefore now no condemnation to [Christians] who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Would you like this kind of eternal security right now (1 John 5:13)? You can have it today (John 10:28, 29; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
Self Judgment. Every true Christian is safe and secure in Christ. But this doesn’t mean that a Christian won’t ever sin again after he/she is saved. This is desirable, but not a reality (1 John 2:1, 2). God has made it possible for us not to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Peter 1:3) but most of us don’t take the “way of escape” and continuously live victorious Christian lives. We won’t be sinless until we die or the Rapture takes place (1 John 3:2). Every true Christian participates in the divine nature at the time of salvation (2 Peter 1:4) but still retains his/her old sin nature (1 John 1:8; Romans 7:15-25). We all have the potential to engage in all the sinful activities that we engaged in prior to our being saved (Galatians 5:19-21). This is why the Apostle Paul told Christians to “walk [by means of] the [Holy] Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust (i.e. strong desires) of the flesh/sin nature” (Galatians 5:16, 25). When the Holy Spirit pricks our conscience and convinces us that we have sinned (i.e. acted lawlessly), we need to change our mind about what we have done (repent) and then confess (admit) our sin(s) to God and then claim His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). If we have sinned against another person, we should confess it to him/her too (James 5:16). If they’re willing to forgive us, we should also ask them not to hold it against us anymore. God can’t forget anything since He is omniscient, but He doesn’t hold our sins against us once they’ve been confessed properly to Him (Ezekiel 33:16). Do you know why God allows us to be tempted again in the same areas of our lives (James 1:13-15)? What crown can a believer earn if he/she successfully overcomes sins (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10)?
Works. When all true New Testament Christians stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the “Bema Seat Judgment” they will have the works they did on earth examined (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). The worthless works, done independently of God and apart from the Holy Spirit’s leading (John 15:5; Romans 8:14), will be burned up without the Christian’s losing his/her salvation. But if we did the good works that God planned for us to do (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 4:10), with love (1 Corinthians 13), in the power of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 4:13), we will be rewarded with crowns and praise from the Lord Himself. Do you know what the five crowns are and how to attain/earn them (1 Corinthians 9:25; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4)? If you earn one or more of them, what will you do with them (Revelation 4:10)? How will this relate to your pleasures in heaven for eternity?
Israelites. Each of the “Seven Dispensations” (rules for living), found in the Scriptures, has a responsibility, a test, and demonstrates a failure on mankind’s part to do what God expected him to do. (See our “Dispensational Chart” for more information.) The judgment of the Jewish nation was not carried out at the time of Christ’s death for our sins. It will be carried out during the last half of the seven year Tribulation, known as “the times of Jacob’s troubles” (Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:15ff). We believe that the seven Trumpet Judgments (Revelation 8:2-9:21; 11:15-19) will be designed primarily to purge out all the unbelieving Jews (Ezekiel 20:37) and enable the believing remnant to enter the promised “Kingdom of the Heavens” with the King of kings and Lord of lords (Daniel 2:44, 45; Romans 9:27; Revelation 19:16). Be careful not to confuse the true Church with Israel. Beware of the heretical teaching known as “Replacement Theology.” You can learn a lot about a person’s world view simply by asking, “Do you believe that the Jews have a right to the land of Israel? To whom was it given – Ishmael or Isaac?”
Angels. Yes, spirit beings are real and are very active in people’s lives every day. Two thirds of the angels are good, and one third are evil (Revelation 12:4). None of the cherubs except Lucifer rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12ff; Ezekiel 28:12ff). We know very little about the seraphs (Isaiah 6:2). Some of the angels that followed Satan were involved in trying to contaminate the human race by intermarrying with human women and producing hybrids (Genesis 3:15; 6:4). Some object by quoting Scripture – “For in the resurrection they (i.e. humans) neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 12:3). Please note that it says the angels in heaven are not given in marriage. It doesn’t say anything about the fallen angels (demons) in this context. We believe the best explanation of the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6:4 is that it refers to some of the fallen angels who took on humanoid form. They cohabitated with human women and produced “giants…mighty men of renown.” These fallen angels (demons) are currently confined in “Tartarus” in the heart of the earth (2 Peter 2:4). Other fallen angels are actively engaged in opposing God and His children here on earth (Ephesians 2:2; 6:12). Satan spends most of his time in God’s presence accusing Christians of their misdeeds (Revelation 12:10). He and his angels will all be cast out of heaven to the earth at the middle of the Tribulation and will do all they can to destroy the nation of Israel in an attempt to try to foil God’s plan for them. (Note: Satan will be confined in the Abyss during the millennium and won’t be cast into the lake of fire until it’s over – Revelation 20:1-10.) If God is not able to preserve a believing remnant from entering the “Kingdom of the Heavens,” and inheriting all the land that God said He’d give to them (Genesis 15:18-21), then Satan himself has the hope that God won’t be able to cast him into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). This is an impossibility. God will win the final battle and rule into the ages of the ages, even into eternity (Isaiah 9:6, 7; Ephesians 2:7). He will keep all His promises to the Jews and to Christians. This gives us hope (Romans 15:4). What promises do you know and claim as your own? How does this help you enjoy the peace of God? Are you trying to claim some promises that weren’t given to you?
Wicked Dead. The final judgment will take place when the Lord Jesus Christ raises the wicked dead from their graves and causes them to stand before Him at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15; 1 Corinthians 15:24). True Christians, as His Bride, will be at His side as He judges the wicked according to their works done on this earth. This will determine their degree of suffering in the lake of fire forever. Among those who will suffer the most, next to the devil and demons, are those who are false prophets and false teachers who teach another Jesus and another gospel (2 Peter 2:1ff; Jude 1:13; Matthew 7:21-23; 24:5; 25:30, 41, 46; 2 Corinthians 11:4, 13-15).
You And I. One day you and I will stand before Judge Jesus and have the works we did on earth evaluated. These judgments won’t be to determine our getting into heaven or not. They will determine our degree of pleasure in heaven or our torment in the lake of fire (Luke 12:47, 48). Our entrance into heaven is based on one act of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for ours sins…and rose again bodily on the third day from the dead. Once saved, we’re to live with an attitude of faith (Romans 1:16, 17).
Questions. Are you sure that you will go to heaven some day? Do you really want to go there or do you want to go to hell with all your friends and party there? What if hell is what Jesus said it is – a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30; Luke 16:19-31)? Why should God let you into His heaven? If you believe you’re saved, is there anything you could do or fail to do that would cause you to lose your salvation? If so, what would it be? If you’re saved, are you pleasing God and doing His will (2 Corinthians 5:10)? If not, what needs to change? See 1 John 3:4; James 4:17; Romans 14:23.
Help. If, after reading the Scriptures associated with the statements we’ve made, you still need added help, you may contact us here or through our website: www.kelseypeach.com. We’re here to help those who are teachable and willing to change when exposed to the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:2). To receive future articles as they come out, click on “Follow.”
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