Join us as we discover that the judgement has often been very misunderstood. We realize that God as judge does not initiate the judgement but the accuser - Satan and at times it is God who is being judged. Prepare to discover that we have nothing to fear in the judgement. So much Good News.
SHOW NOTES
The Judgment of the Saved. Part 2
This presentation is motivated by the apparent contradiction between judgment for all as stated in the Bible and the parallel statement by different authors in the Bible that Jesus has forgiven all our sins: past, present and future. Why judge people if all is forgiven? It will be shown that the judgment of the saints is not initiated by God but by Satan. It will also be shown that God is judged. This is consequence of having the power of choice creatures can then judge if God is worthy of their worship.
The New Testament is categorical. There is a coming Judgment for all.
Matthew 12:36 Careless words will condemn men in the judgement Matthew 25:30 "Fling the useless servant out into the dark, the place of wailing and grinding of teeth."
Matthew 25:41 "The curse is upon you; go from my sight to the eternal fire that ready for the devil and his angels." Acts 17:30-31 Paul calls men to repentance and holy living for the day of judgement is yet future.
Romans 2:5-6 Whole chapter is about the judgement, there is good news and bad news. Hebrews 10:26-27 There is a fearful expectation of the judgement 2 Peter 3:6-7 Judgement is linked with the day of the Lord Jude 14-15 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, proclaims that all men will come to judgement. The judgement will condemn the godless. Daniel 7:9-10, 22 There is a judgement, the books are opened, the kingdom is given to the saints.
So, having established there is an impeding Judgment for All, we need to question why saints come to judgment in view of the following statements by Jesus.
Jesus states that he did not come to judge the world but to save it (John 3:17). He was also clear that there is a judgment and that his words (John 6:63) and our words will judge us. He also states the following: John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.” A possible solution to this apparent contradiction is that there is a judgment, not initiated by God or Jesus, that comes to the saved at some point.
As will be shown later, the devil initiates condemnation or judgment of the saints in an attempt to keep them from being saved by God. It is interesting to note that in general it is not the judge which initiates a judgment process. A judgment is initiated by an accuser against the accused.
Here are some questions to get one thinking about the judgment of the Saved.
When are the saved judged?Before death? At death? After death? Before the resurrection? After the resurrection? Before the millennium? In the millennium? After the millennium? Are there different judgments for the righteous and the unrighteous?
When thinking about a Judgment in the Bible it is helpful to ask the following questions.
When does this judgment take place? Who does the judging?
Is there a jury? (The jury has evolved from Trial by battle, e.g. David and Goliath, Trial by ordeal, e.g. suspected wife [Numbers 5], to Trial by jury. The idea of a Jury is to protect citizens from dysfunctional judges.) Who is/are the accused? Who is the accuser? The one who initiates the judgment process. Who is the defender? What is the verdict? Who enforces this verdict?
We will consider six case studies in these presentations.
Case Study 1: The Judgment of Joshua the High Priest/Saints. Zechariah 3:1-10 NLT
Case Study 2: How God is judged by People. Revelation 14:6-7 NIV Case Study 3: The Judgment at the Second Coming. Revelation 6:15-17 NLT Case Study 4: The Judgment of God by the Saints. Revelation 20:1-6 NLT Case Study 5: Judgment of Rebels against Love. Revelation 20:13-15 NLT Case Study 6: The Judgment in favour of the Son of Man and God’s People. Daniel 7:9-14 NLT
Case Study 1: The Judgment of Joshua the High Priest/Saints. Zechariah 3:1-10 NLT
The Story
1 Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua.
The Judgment
2 And the LORD said to Satan, “I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.” 3 Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. 4 So the angel said to the others standingthere, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.” 5 Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.” So, they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the LORD stood by. 6 Then the angel of the LORD spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, 7 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here. 8 “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, asingle stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day. 10 “And on that day, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.”
When does this happen? Literally around 500-400 BC Who does the judging? The LORD of Heaven’s armies (vss. 2, 4, 7) Is there a jury? Those standing there—Angels (vs. 4, 7) Who are the accused? Jeshua the High Priest (vs. 1)
Who is the accuser who initiates this judgment? Satan (vs. 2) Satan points out in great detail the sins of the saints Jesus has saved. He has an exact record and places saints in the worst possible light. Who is the defender? The Angel of the LORD (vs. 2)
The angel or Jesus does not deny their sins but points out:
Sinners never chose to be born on planet earth (Genesis 1-3).
Satan is the one who has destroyed every sinner’s innocence and righteousness (John 8:44-45; Hebrews 2:14).
Only Jesus lived the life every sinner was meant to live in God’s plan (Romans 3:21-26; 6:23)
Jesus was executed unjustly at the hands of Satan and his followers. He thus has merit to pass his history onto any sinner who desires this history or righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Jesus claims repentant sinners as his own and presents them to his Father as if they had never sinned since they would not have sinned if they had been born on a planet without Satan’s harassment (Zechariah 3:4-5).
What is the verdict? Jeshua is forgiven, innocent and righteous. (These are not synonyms.) Who enforces the verdict? The others standing there (vs 4).
This judgment serves as a template for many of the judgment scenes
in Daniel and Revelation. Satan is the accuser and Jesus is the defender and the Cosmos is the jury. Satan is identified as THE accuser (Revelation 12:9). The title “Satan” comes from the Hebrew, Shattan which literally means the accuser or prosecutor. This is Satan trying to keep the saints from being saved.
Case Study 2: God is judged by People. Revelation 14:6-7 NIV
This judgment is described in Revelation 14:7. This judgment is located at the end of the age or the end of the world since its context is chapters 13 and 14 of Revelation. These chapters have to do withthe Image to the Beast and death for all who do not receive the Beast’s mark which takes place at the end of time.
The Story
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
The Judgment
Contrary to some translations, this is NOT God judging people, but people judging God. This claim can be seen from four different perspectives.
Linguistically, if I say, “the hour of John’s judgment has come,” I mean that John is being judged. I do not mean that John is judging. Most translations have wording which parallels the NIV.
Contextually, the angel has good news or the gospel to accredit his announcement. If God was judging or condemning sinners, it would not be good news.
Theologically, the longstanding judgment by human beings is about God. The serpent beguiled Eve by suggesting God was withholding a better plain of existence from her. Eve then judged God asselfish. Human beings, even atheists, often cry out, “Why did God allow this tragedy?” Insurance language describes disasters as “acts of God.” It is thus clear humans judge God all the time.
This passage (14:6-12) is concerned with worship of God versus worship of beasts. We are called upon to make a choice about who we will worship. Who will we judge worthy of our worship? God or a beast? This is a judgment call by the worshipper. There is a parallel judgment of God during the millennium (Revelation 20:1-6).
When does this judgment take place? At the end of the age.
Who does the judging? Those who live on the earth (vs 6) Is there a jury? At least the angels. Who are the accused? God Who is the accuser who initiates this judgment? Satan and people.
Who is the defender? The announcing angel (vs 7) What is the verdict? God is righteous in every way.Who enforces the verdict? Angel from the altar (vs 8)
Case Study 3: The Judgment at the Second Coming. Revelation 6:15-17 NLT
The Story.
Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”
The Judgment.
When does this judgment take place? At the Second Coming (vs 17) Who does the judging? The lost. They judge themselves, as Judas did, they would rather die than face God. Is there a jury? At least the angels. Who are the accused? The enthroned One and the Lamb. Who is the accuser who initiates this judgment? The lost accuse God of being angry with them (vs 16)
Who is the defender? The angel with the seal of God (Chapter seven)
What is the verdict? The Lost would prefer death to life with God.
Who enforces the verdict? The Lost as with Judas (Vs 16)
Case Study 4: Judgment of God by the Saints. Revelation 20:1-6 NLT
The Story
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.
The Judgment
4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Answers question of souls under the altar 6:10)
5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
When does this happen? During the Millennium (vs 7) Who does the judging? Saved People (vs 4) Is there a jury? Angels according to Daniel 7:10 Who are the accused? Those who names are not in The Book of Life (vs 15)
Who is the accuser that initiates this judgment? Lonely Saints Who is the defender? God and Jesus Christ Who enforces the verdict? Consequences of rebellion (Revelation 6:15-17)