Carol Swenson
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The Handbook of Bible Application
JUDGMENT (GOD’S) (Condemnation, Grace, Justice)
THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S JUDGMENT
How sure can we be that God will judge the human race?
BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 7:1-26
KEY BIBLE VERSE: When the Lord your God delivers them over to you to be destroyed, do a complete job of it—don’t make any treaties or show them mercy; utterly wipe them out. (Deuteronomy 7:2, TLB)
History teaches us that God’s judgment is inevitable. God told the Israelites to destroy their enemies totally. How can a God of love and mercy wipe out everyone, even children? Although God is loving and merciful, he is also just. These enemy nations were as much a part of God’s creation as Israel was, but God does not allow evil to continue unchecked. God had punished Israel by keeping out of the promised land all those who had disobeyed. The command to destroy these nations was both a judgment (9:4-6) and a safety measure. On one hand, the people living in the land were being judged for their sin, and Israel was God’s instrument of judgment—just as God would one day use other nations to judge Israel for its sin (2 Chronicles 36:17; Isaiah 10:12). On the other hand, God’s command was designed to protect the nation of Israel from being ruined by the idolatry and immorality of its enemies. To think that God is too “nice” to judge sin would be to underestimate him.
BIBLE READING: 1 Kings 22:29-40
KEY BIBLE VERSE: However, someone shot an arrow at random and it struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor. “Take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded,” he groaned to his chariot driver. (1 Kings 22:34, TLB)
God’s judgment is unavoidable. Ahab could not escape God’s judgment. The king of Aram sent thirty-two of his best chariot commanders with the sole purpose of killing Ahab. Thinking he could escape, Ahab tried to disguise himself, but a random arrow struck him while the chariots chased the wrong king, Jehoshaphat. It was foolish for Ahab to think he could escape by wearing a disguise. Sometimes people try to escape reality by disguising themselves—changing jobs, moving to a new town, even changing spouses. But God sees and evaluates the motives of each person. Any attempted disguise is futile.
BIBLE READING: Romans 2:1-16
KEY BIBLE VERSE: But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:5, NIV)
God’s judgment comes according to his own timing. Although God does not usually punish us immediately for sin, his eventual judgment is certain. We don’t know exactly when it will happen, but we know that no one will escape that final encounter with the Creator. (For more on judgment, see John 12:48 and Revelation 20:11-15.)
God’s judgment is fair and just. People are condemned not for what they don’t know, but for what they do with what they know. Those who know God’s written Word and his law will be judged by them. Those who have never seen a Bible still know right from wrong, and they will be judged because they did not keep even those standards that their own consciences dictated. Our modern-day sense of fair play and the rights of the individual often balks at God’s judgment. But keep in mind that people violate the very standards they create for themselves.
God’s judgment will be universal. If you traveled around the world, you would find evidence in every society and culture of God’s moral law. For example, all cultures prohibit murder, and yet in all societies that law has been broken. We belong to a stubborn race. We know what’s right, but we insist on doing what’s wrong. It is not enough to know what’s right; we must also do it. Admit to yourself and to God that you fit the human pattern and frequently fail to live up to your own standards (much less to God’s standards). That’s the first step to forgiveness and healing.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF GOD’S JUDGMENT
What happens to those under God’s judgment?
BIBLE READING: Obadiah 1:1-21
KEY BIBLE VERSE: The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. (Obadiah 1:15, NIV)
People in unrepentant rebellion towards God will be destroyed. Edom is an example to all the nations that are hostile toward God. Nothing can break God’s promise to protect his people from complete destruction. In the book of Obadiah we see four aspects of God’s message of judgment: (1) evil will certainly be punished; (2) those faithful to God have hope for a new future; (3) God is sovereign in human history; and (4) God’s ultimate purpose is to establish his eternal kingdom. The Edomites had been cruel to God’s people. They were arrogant and proud, and they took advantage of others’ misfortunes. Any nation that mistreats people who obey God will be punished, regardless of how invincible they appear. Similarly we, as individuals, cannot allow ourself to feel so comfortable with our wealth or security that we fail to help God’s people. This is sin. And because God is just, sin will be punished.
BIBLE READING: Matthew 16:21-28
KEY BIBLE VERSE: For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:27, NIV)
Christians will be judged by how they used God’s gifts. Jesus Christ has been given the authority to judge all the earth (Romans 14:9-11; Philippians 2:9-11). Although his judgment is already working in our life, there is a future, final judgment when Christ returns (25:31-46) and everyone’s life is reviewed and evaluated. This will not be confined to unbelievers; Christians too will face a judgment. Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus will look at how they handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities in order to determine their heavenly rewards. At the time of judgment, God will deliver the righteous and condemn the wicked. We should not judge others’ salvation; that is God’s work.
BIBLE READING: Matthew 25:31-46
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matthew 25:46, NIV)
The final judgment for unbelievers will be eternal. Eternal punishment takes place in hell (the lake of fire, or Gehenna), the place of punishment after death for all those who refuse to repent. In the Bible, three words are used in connection with eternal punishment.
(1) Sheol or “the grave” is used in the Old Testament to mean the place of the dead, generally thought to be under the earth. (See Job 24:19; Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 38:10.)
(2) Hades is the Greek word for the underworld, the realm of the dead. It is the word used in the New Testament for Sheol. (See Matthew 16:18; Revelation 1:18; 20:13-14.)
(3) Gehenna,or hell, was named after the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem where children were sacrificed by fire to the pagan gods (see 2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:3). This is the place of eternal fire (Matthew 5:22; 10:28; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5; James 3:6; Revelation 19:20) prepared for the devil, his angels, and all those who do not believe in God (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:9-10). This is the final and eternal state of the wicked after the resurrection and the Last Judgment.
When Jesus warns against unbelief, he is trying to save us from agonizing punishment.
BIBLE READING: Revelation 20:11-15
KEY BIBLE VERSE: And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. (Revelation 20:12, NIV)
God’s judgment is complete. At the judgment, the books are opened. They represent God’s verdict, and in them are recorded the deeds of everyone, good or evil. We are not saved by deeds, but deeds are seen as clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with God. The book of life contains the names of those who have put their trust in Christ to save them.
God’s judgment is final. Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire. God’s judgment is finished. The lake of fire is the ultimate destination of everything wicked—Satan, the beast, the false prophet, the demons, death, Hades, and all those whose names are not recorded in the book of life because they did not place their faith in Jesus Christ. John’s vision does not permit any gray areas in God’s judgment. If by faith we have not identified with Christ, confessing him as Lord, there will be no hope, no second chance, no other appeal.
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