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The subject known as the Judgment is one that many do not often talk about. The reason is that it reveals a judging God and most of us rather think of God’s loving characteristic -- a God that loves us so much that He will look pass all of our faults. Many believe that as long as we do good to one another, or that our good works outweigh the bad ones, God will allow us into heaven. In this lesson, we will examine what the Bible has to say. Since we believe that Jesus will return very soon, the judgment is a very important subject to understand. Let us enter into the heavenly courtroom with the right ground rules.

1 John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." Titus 1:2 "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." We serve a loving God who even sent His only Son into this world to die for our sins. Now that is the ultimate love one could ever express -- (John 15:13). Further, we read that God cannot lie.

Acts 17:31 "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead." There is a judgment day and notice who will carry it out -- the one that was raised from the dead -- that is Jesus Christ. Are we sure? John 5:22 "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." John 5:27 "And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." Clearly God the Father has handed the role of judgment to His Son who earned it by His sinless life and selfless sacrifice of Himself.

Is that bad news? 1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The word Advocate in a thesaurus renders the following: Ally, Defender, Supporter, Attorney, and Counselor. This sounds encouraging! The one who judges us is on our side. So if we spend time with Him every day by reading His word and communicating with him through prayer, then no, it is not bad news; it is wonderful news! But if we do not know Him nor desire to spend time with Him everyday, then it is bad news.

This is like dating. Nobody has to tell a couple to make time for each other. When a note is written, it may be read many times. This should be the same relationship we have with Jesus. We should not have to make time for Jesus, but rather we should have to make time for everything else. And we should not grudgingly read His Word, rather, we should be anxious. Oh how our priorities are out of control. There are all these societal pressures eating at our time. Who do you think is behind it all? That is right -- Satan. So we must earnestly spend time with Jesus every day.

Daniel 7:9-10 "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened." This is an awesome site. Millions of angels around God’s throne as the books are opened and fire is proceeding out from the throne.

When does this scene occur? Continuing on, Daniel 7:13-14 "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed." The books being opened for the judgment scene occurs before the second coming. This is exactly what Revelation reveals.

Revelation 14:6-7 "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Notice that it is present tense. When does this angel speak? Revelation 14:14 "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle." According to these verses, the angel speaks before Jesus returns. That means people are judged before the return of Jesus.

What books are opened? Revelation 20:12-13 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; 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. 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." One of the books is the Book of Life. Did you also notice how Daniel parallels Revelation and Revelation parallels Daniel? You cannot fully understand one without the other.

In addition to the Book of Life, there is another book that is used according to Malachi 3:16-17, "Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." The Book of Remembrance contains all of people’s actions or thoughts. As people confess their sins, the record of that sin is then blotted out of the Book of Remembrance.

We studied this before. If our name is in the Book of Life, we will be judged as being allowed to enter into heaven (Revelation 21:27). If our name is not in the Book of Life, we are then judged to go to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). We also found that by being active in sharing the Word of God with others by character, Bible studies, etc., our names are kept in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3). Further, those in the Book of Life are referred to as overcomers (Revelation 3:5). The overcoming is that of sin, selfishness, and this world. We only can do that by accepting the atoning blood of Christ through salvation. We also learned that it is a gift which we are free to accept or reject (Ephesians 2:8). To accept it, we must first realize that we are a sinner and repent of the sin we have committed (Luke 13:3). Then go boldly to Jesus in secret and confess our sins at which point He will forgive us of our sin (1 John 1:9). He will then blot them out of the book of remembrance. However, true repentance and confession will then lead to conversion where we are a new creature not desiring to commit the sin again (2 Corinthians 5:17). After conversion, we will then be impressed to make restitution where possible (Matthew 5:23-24). By rationalizing that God will overlook the little sins in my life because "I’m such a good person" is the way one rejects the free gift of salvation. That is because Isaiah 64:6 says "But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

Now, we just read in Revelation 20:12-13 that we are judged by our works, yet the Bible tells us that we are saved by faith. How is this possible? James 2:14 "What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" Well, that is our question. So what is the answer? James 2:17-18 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." Faith is demonstrated by works and works gives evidence of faith. It is like rowing a boat. With having two oars, one labeled faith and the other works, using only one would lead to going in circles. But when used together, one can go straight ahead. Here is another example. Take for instance the politicians. They make all kinds of promises to get elected, and once they are in office, their works give evidence that they lacked the sincerity of their promise. Consider this, to go by faith only, means that one can live in sin. Going by all works gives way to a selfish motive in trying to earn heaven, while proper faith and unselfish works gives evidence of Christ working in you.

Now even though mankind tries their best to deny the existence of God, we as a world do use God’s principles. There is the seven-day week that all countries use in one form or another. There is using beasts to represent things such as countries. And then there is the judicial system, which is also based on the Bible. In its simplest form, the judicial system contains three main steps. There is first the investigation, second, the verdict, and third, the sentence. All trials and judgments go through these three steps. Let us now examine each of these steps from the Bible.

Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Since we all are destined to die, we are then all appointed to be judged.

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." Notice that no one will escape the judgment.

What is at stake during the investigative judgment? Revelation 20:15 "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 21:27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." What is at stake is whether our name will remain in the Book of Life or not. That means this time is spent on deciding who is going to heaven and who is going to hell.

What is investigated during this period? Matthew 12:36-37 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Every word is recorded and that which is spoken properly will be considered "just" while those spoken improperly shall "condemn" us. Luke 11:23 "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." Our speech either gathers or scatters. If it scatters, then we are serving Satan. You may ask how is that possible? Well, cutting friends down for the sake of a joke is one way, and Satan is really cunning because if the victim shows any sadness, Satan implants the phrase to be said, "What, can’t you take a joke?"

Another way is gossip. Gossip is not simply just talking about people. It is letting another know something that they did not have a need to know. If you or the other person cannot help solve a person’s situation, do not utter it. But if the desire is to pray for the individual, still very little should be divulged.

Yet another sly way is that of negativism. There is an unwritten rule yet very powerful. It is called the Law of Reciprocal Influence. As we utter and focus on positive things, more positive things begin to occur. And as more and more positive things occur, it affects others in a positive manner and makes all around us happier people. That is God’s side. Satan’s counterfeit is the blatant opposite that so many people find themselves in. As negative remarks are uttered, more negative things tend to occur. And as they occur, it affects others in a negative manner. What benefit does it provide? It usually makes one feel worse and the person we utter it to also worse.

Let us look at a practical example. On the road, someone cuts you off. You get to your destination and utter, "Man, some people should have their license taken away! I almost got in an accident because some idiot cut me off!" Now how does that make you feel? Probably no better. How does that make the other people feel? Probably worse than before you walked in. How can this be turned to God’s advantage? Consider the very least, not mentioning a thing and have a happy disposition. Some people may say, "That’s fake!" No it is not. Basically by forcing yourself to have a happy disposition is letting Satan know that he did not gain the victory, that Satan will not interrupt your day.

Basically, there are only two sides in this world -- God’s and Satan’s. Each word that we speak either gives glory to God or Satan. And God forbid if at anytime we would glorify Satan.

Another thing brought up in the judgment is found in James 2:10-12. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." We should be keeping God’s law seeing we are going to be judged by it.

The next area investigated is revealed in Matthew 5:28, "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." The world says, "You can look but don’t touch." God says, "Don’t even think it!" Why? Because as people think it, people eventually have the tendency to act it out.

Along similar lines is Matthew 5:22, "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Not only is murder a concern, but also Jesus says even if we are angry with our brother or sister, that is our fellow man, we are in danger of going to hell.

How deep does the investigation go? Psalm 44:21 "Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart." Some sincere Christians think that avoiding a sin is a matter of controlling expressions. God searches deeper -- right into the hearts.

This is a real thorough investigation. Wow. It sounds really hopeless. It does not look like we have a chance to make it past this stage of the judgment. Well, take heart. Hebrews 7:25 "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." It may seem impossible but remember our Great Attorney. He is able to save us. He tries every possible means to win our case. He is in constant intercession on our behalf; it is just a matter of letting our Attorney work for us, i.e., surrendering all to Him.

And if we fear approaching God, consider John 6:37, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." Jesus is willing to represent everybody. There are no exceptions.

How do we enter into a relationship with our Great Attorney? 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Jude 1:24 "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." That is hard to imagine -- being presented to God the Father as being faultless (without sin). Even one of the great reformers, Martin Luther, struggled with it. Martin Luther’s life drastically changed after reading Romans 1:17 "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." He began to live by faith. Satan though, was quite upset and even visited Martin in his sleep. Satan came to him in a dream and taunted him by saying, "You think you’re saved? You think you’re going to heaven? Well, I’ve got something for you." Satan then pulled out a scroll and unraveled it. It hit the floor and kept rolling. Satan said, "Look at all your sins. You think God’s going to forgive you of all these sins? Look at them!" Martin began to feel uneasy and as he looked down the list that Satan was holding, he recognized that the sins were his. Every single sin that he committed was listed. But, then he noticed that Satan was acting a little weird. It looked like Satan was covering up the top portion of the list with his hand. Martin looked at Satan and asked, "Satan, are you hiding something?" Satan quickly replied, "No. No way. I’m not hiding anything. You just look at your sins. You’re going to hell." Martin firmly stated, "Satan, I know you’re hiding something. Remove your hand at once." But Satan did not. At this time though, Satan was beginning to sweat and look nervous. Finally, Martin yelled in his sleep, "In the name of Jesus Christ, Satan remove your hand!" And at the name of Jesus Christ, all hell trembles. And so Satan did remove his hand. And what was being covered up was: "The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7) Praise the Lord!

If we allow Jesus to be Lord and Ruler in our lives, the first phase is not bad. Then there is the second phase -- the verdict.

Revelation 22:11 "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." There is going to be a time when these very words will be spoken, identifying the verdict of all. After the evidence has been completely investigated, a guilty or not guilty verdict is rendered. Notice that this appears before the second coming which is in verse 12. "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Also notice that His reward is with Him when He comes.

Matthew 25:32 "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats." The investigation determines who will be known as the sheep and who will be known as the goats. Jesus is coming back for His sheep. Amen?

Once the verdict is read, only the sentencing remains.

Revelation 11:18 "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." This is simply stating that when Jesus returns, He will be handing out the sentencing phase of the judgment.

The reward of the sheep is recorded in Matthew 25:34, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The reward of the goats is recorded in Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

What will the reaction of the wicked be? Revelation 6:16 "And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." They are not prepared for the return of Jesus. They did not spend time getting to know their Attorney. They were careless with their thoughts and words. Satan lead them down, down, down the road of sin to the point that they did not want to change. They went along with the crowd. And when that sky splits open, they will know that He is not returning for them and will cry to be buried in the earth.

What will the reaction of the saved be? Isaiah 25:9 "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." These are those that were daily getting to know their Attorney by reading His Word. These are those that spent time in prayer. These are those that detested sin, and they even trained their minds not to lust or think evil of another. These are those that went through difficult times willingly, knowing that it would lead to a much happier future. They know that when the sky splits open, their Advocate is coming to take them home.

Imagine, No more death. No more disease. No more goofy taxes. No more debt. No more work. No more glasses. No more fear. No more tears. No more sorrow.

"Eye has not seen, ear has not heard" what is waiting for us (1 Corinthians 2:9). It will be heaven! It all can be yours. What is 70 years in comparison to eternal life? Do you agree that it is worth it?

John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand." Are you willing to follow Jesus in all that He says?

May God Bless you and may you continue to look upon the heavenly things that your Father and His Son are preparing for you, keeping your eyes off the earthly things that will soon fade away.¤