SS Final Judgment

Opening quotes - “I was thinking, that when my time comes, I should be very sorry if the only plea I had to offer was that of justice. Because it might mean that only justice would be meted out to me.”
― Agatha Christie, Murder at the Vicarage   *I like this quote cause it inherently calls out not for Divine Justice but for God’s Mercy (the very definition of the Gospel)

Clement of Rome AD 96 (Judgment as motivation) - Since then all things are seen and heard [by God], let us fear Him, and forsake those wicked works which proceed from evil desires; so that, through His mercy, we may be protected from the judgments to come. For where can any of us flee from His mighty hand? Or what world would receive any of those who run away from Him? (1 Clement 28)

Polycarp AD 125 – Polycarp standing before a Roman Proconsul was already sentenced to death & the Proconsul was deciding what sort of martyrdom he would suffer. Polycarp had already scoffed at being torn to pieces by wild animals in the Coliseum.

So the proconsul said to him, "I will have you consumed by fire, since you despise the wild beasts, if you will not repent!" The Proconsul wanted Polycarp to repent of Christianity & reclaim belief in the old Roman paganism.

But Polycarp said, "You threaten me with fire which burns but for an hour and soon after is extinguished, but you are ignorant of the Fire of the Coming Judgment and of Eternal Punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why are you waiting? Bring forth what you wish." (Martyrdom of Polycarp 11)

   

Final Judgment - What I’m going to do today is not completely answer questions but give you some pictures; a collage - that together give us a good impression, idea & image of what the final judgment will be like.

The first thing to understand about the final judgment is that it cannot be avoided. Regardless of how we may choose to interpret ideas of the end times, we are told that “it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment” Read Hebrews 9:24-28.

We all have a divine appointment with our Creator. The apostle John recorded some details of the final judgment: Read Revelation 20:11-15. “And I saw a great white throne, and Him sitting on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And a place was not found for them (the hiders). And I saw the dead, the small and the great, stand before God. And 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. And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and hell delivered up the dead in them. And each one of them was judged according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.”

This remarkable passage introduces to us the Final Judgment—the end of human history and the beginning of the eternal state. We can be sure of this: no mistakes will be made in our hearings because we will be judged by a perfect God (Matthew 5:48; 1 John 1:5). This will manifest itself in many undeniable proofs. First, God will be perfectly just and fair (Acts 10:34; Galatians 3:28). Second, God cannot be deceived (Galatians 6:7). Third, God cannot be swayed by any prejudices, excuses or lies Read Luke 14:16-24.

Jesus will be the judge Read John 5:22-29. All unbelievers will be judged by Christ at the “great white throne,” and they will be punished according to the works they have done. The Bible is very clear that unbelievers are storing up wrath against themselves (Romans 2:5) and that God will “give to each person according to what he has done” (Romans 2:6). (Believers will also be judged, but differently since Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us and our names are written in the Book of Life, we will be rewarded, not punished, according to our deeds.) At the final judgment, the fate of the unsaved will be in the hands of the omniscient God who will judge everyone according to his soul’s condition.

For now, our fate is in our own hands. The end of our soul’s journey will be either in an eternal heaven or in an eternal hell (Read Matthew 25:31-46). We must choose where we will be by accepting or rejecting the sacrifice of Christ with repentance & faith, and we must make that choice before our physical lives on this earth come to an end. After death, there is no longer a choice, and our fate is to stand before the throne of God, where everything will be open and naked before Him (Hebrews 4:13). Romans 2:6 declares that God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”

The great white throne judgment is described in Revelation 20:11-15 and is the final judgment prior to the lost being cast into the lake of fire. The books that are opened (Revelation 20:12) contain records of everyone’s deeds, whether they are good or evil, because God knows everything that has ever been said, done, or even thought, and He will reward or punish each one accordingly (Psalm 28:4; 62:12; Romans 2:6; Revelation 2:23; 18:6; 22:12).

Also at this time, another book is opened, called the “book of life” (Revelation 20:12). It is this book that determines whether a person will inherit eternal life with God or receive everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. Although Christians are held accountable for their actions, they are forgiven in Christ and their names were written in the “book of life from the creation of the world” (Revelation 17:8). We also know from Scripture that it is at this judgment when the dead will be “judged according to what they had done” (Revelation 20:12) and that “anyone’s name” that is not “found written in the book of life” will be “thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

The fact that there is going to be a final judgment for all men, both believers and unbelievers, is clearly confirmed in many passages of Scripture. Every person will one day stand before Christ and be judged for his or her deeds.

Closing quote – Called the Apostle’s Creed, as it comes from the very time of the Apostles; even if they did not write it particularly its always been held up to express what they believed & taught.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Maker of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
    born of the virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, died, and was buried;

He descended into hell. [**note at bottom]

And on the third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
    and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
    from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
    the holy catholic (meaning universal) Church;
    the communion of the saints;
    the forgiveness of sins;
    the resurrection of the body;
    and the life everlasting. Amen.

** Calvin states, THE "DESCENT INTO HELL" AS AN EXPRESSION OF THE SPIRITUAL TORMENT THAT CHRIST UNDERWENT FOR US