Will there be a Judgment Day?

Getting a court summons from a deputy sheriff can make one’s heart rate rise and, perhaps, skip a beat or two.  Going before an earthly judge can be a very serious matter, with, sometimes, freedom, life, and death being at stake.

The apostle Paul, writing to the Hebrews stated: “It is appointed that man will die once, and after that the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)  Notice, also, that the judgment takes place after one dies, after he stops making choices.

The Bible teaches clearly that all men, both living and dead, must give an account to Christ. The Apostle Peter, in his great sermon in the house of Cornelius, said “that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick (LIVING) and dead” (Acts 10:42). Later, in his First Epistle, Peter wrote that the saints “shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).  Therefore, both the dead and living must give account to their Creator, who will judge all men.

Paul reminds the Christians in Rome that all shall give account before their Creator and that God will judge all to the same degree that we judge our fellowman. (Romans 14:10 ESV): “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

Jesus, too, warns that we shall all give account to our heavenly Judge: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.  (Matthew 12:36)

Matthew 25:31-46 tells us that Jesus Will Judge the World:

31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.

34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. 36 I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then the people who have God’s approval will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “The king will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.’

41 “Then the king will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me! God has cursed you! Go into everlasting punishment (death, Hebrews 2:14; Malachi 4: 1-3) that was prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me into your homes. I needed clothes, and you didn’t give me anything to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t take care of me.’

44 “They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or in need of clothes or sick or in prison and didn’t help you?’

45 “He will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you failed to do for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do for me.’

46 “These people will go away into eternal destruction, but those with God’s approval will go into eternal life.

Books of record are being kept in Heaven.  Revelation 20:11-12 reads:  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

Seeing that judgment shall take place for all, according to the Apostle Peter, what sort of lives should we be living?  “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God….”  (2 Peter 3:10-13)

Let us never lose sight of our goal, being citizens in that new heaven and the new earth where only righteousness will exist.

Until next week, may God richly bless you and yours!

©2017 Fillmer Hevener

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Editor’s Note: Our dear friend, Fillmer Hevener, died Friday evening, August 25, 2017. Dr. Hevener was passionate about sharing the word of God and weekly encouraged us and our readers. We will miss his emails, his words of wisdom, and most importantly, his prayers—for he frequently prayed for us, our children, and our staff. We will continue to run Dr. Hevener’s articles until the end of September. He was a meticulous writer and submitted his devotionals weeks in advance—an editor’s dream. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time and in the days to come.