The Last Judgement

«The court is coming! The judgment is coming! Repent now or you will go to hell ». Perhaps you have heard such words or similar words from screaming evangelists. Her intention is: To lead the listeners into a commitment to Jesus through fear. Such words twist the gospel. Perhaps this is not so far removed from the image of the "eternal judgment" in which many Christians believed with horror over the centuries, especially in the Middle Ages. You can find sculptures and paintings depicting the righteous floating up to heaven to meet Christ and the unrighteous being dragged to hell by cruel demons. The Last Judgment, however, is part of the "last things" doctrine. - These promise the return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the just and the unrighteous, the end of the present wicked world, which will be replaced by the glorious kingdom of God.

God's purpose for humanity

The story begins before the creation of our world. God is Father, Son and Spirit in community, living in eternal, unconditional love and giving. Our sin did not surprise God. Even before God created mankind, He knew that the Son of God would die for the sins of man. He knew in advance that we would fail, but he created us because he already knew a solution to the problem. God created mankind in his own image: “Let us make people like us, who rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds under the sky and over the cattle and over the whole earth and over everything Worm that creeps on earth. And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; and created them male and female »(1. Mose 1,26-27).

In the image of God, we were created to have love relationships that reflect the love God has in the Trinity. God wants us to treat one another in love and also to live in a love relationship with God. The vision as divine promise, expressed at the end of the Bible, is that God will live with his people: «I heard a great voice from the throne, which said: Behold, the tabernacle of God with the people! And he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and he himself, God with them, will be their God "(Revelation 21,3).

God created human beings because he wants to share his eternal and unconditional love with us. The only problem is that we humans did not want to live in love either for one another or for God: "They are all sinners and lack the glory that they should have before God" (Romans 3,23).

So the Son of God, the Creator of mankind, became a man so that he could live and die for his people: «For there is a God and a mediator between God and men, namely the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, as his witness at the right time »(1. Timothy 2,5-6).

At the end of the age, Jesus will return to earth as judge at the last judgment. "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son" (John 5,22). Will Jesus be grieved because people sin and reject him? No, he knew this was going to happen. From the beginning he already had a plan with God the Father to bring us back into the right relationship with God. Jesus submitted to God's righteous plan about evil and experienced the consequences of our sins on himself that led to his death. He poured out his life so that we could have life in him: "God was in Christ and reconciled the world to himself and did not count their sins to them and established the word of reconciliation among us" (2. Corinthians 5,19).

We, the believing Christians, have already been judged and found guilty. We have been forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus and we have been revitalized through the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. Jesus was judged and condemned in our place in our name, taking on our sin and death and giving us in exchange his life, his right relationship with God, so that we can live with him in eternal communion and in holy love .

At last judgment, not everyone will appreciate what Christ has done for them. Some people will oppose Jesus' guilty verdict and reject Christ's right to be their judge and his sacrifice. They ask themselves, "Were my sins really that bad?" And they will resist the redemption of their guilt. Others say: "Can't I just pay off my debts without having to be indebted to Jesus forever?" Their attitudes and responses to God's grace will be revealed at the last judgment.

The Greek word for "judgment" used in the New Testament passages is krisis, from which the word "crisis" is derived. Crisis refers to a time and situation when a decision is made for or against someone. In this sense, a crisis is a point in a person's life or in the world. More specifically, crisis refers to the activity of God or the Messiah as judge of the world on the Last Judgment or the Day of Judgment, or we could say the beginning of "eternal judgment". This is not a short guilty verdict, but a process that can take a long time and also includes the possibility of repentance.

Indeed, based on their response to the Judge Jesus Christ, people will judge and judge themselves. Will they choose the path of love, humility, grace and goodness or will they prefer selfishness, self-righteousness and self-determination? Do you want to live with God on His terms or somewhere else on your own terms? In this judgment, the failure of these people is not due to God rejecting them, but to their rejecting God and his judgment of grace in and through Jesus Christ.

A day of decision

With this overview, we can now examine the verses about the judgment. It is a serious event for all people: “But I tell you that on the day of judgment people must give an account of every worthless word they utter. From your words you will be justified, and from your words you will be condemned »(Matthew 12,36-37).

Jesus summed up the coming judgment in relation to the fate of the righteous and the wicked: «Do not be surprised at this. The hour will come when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and they will come forth those who have done good for the resurrection of life, but those who have done evil for the resurrection of judgment ”(John 5,28-29).

These verses must be understood in the light of another biblical truth; everyone has done evil and is a sinner. The judgment includes not only what people did, but also what Jesus did for them. He has already paid the debt for the sins for all people.

Sheep and the goats

Jesus described the nature of the Last Judgment in a symbolic form: “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory and all the peoples will be gathered before him. And he will separate them from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep on his right hand and the goats on the left »(Matthew 25,31-33).

The sheep on his right hand will hear of their blessing in the following words: “Come here, you blessed ones of my Father, inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world! »(Verse 34).

Why does he choose her? “Because 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 in. I've been naked and you dressed me. I was sick and you visited me. I have been in prison and you have come to me »(verses 35-36).

The goats on his left will also be informed of their fate: "Then he will also say to those on the left: Get away from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire that is prepared for the devil and his angels!" (Verse 41).

This parable does not give us any details about the trial and what kind of judgment it will give at the "Last Judgment". There is no mention of forgiveness or faith in these verses. The sheep were unaware that Jesus was involved in what they were doing. Helping those in need is a good thing, but it's not the only thing that matters or determines the final judgment. The parable taught two new points: The judge is the Son of Man, Jesus Christ himself. He wants people to help those in need instead of disregarding them. God does not reject us humans, but gives us grace, especially the grace of forgiveness. Compassion and kindness towards those in need of mercy and grace will be rewarded in the future with God's own grace given to them. "But you, with your stubborn and unrepentant heart, accumulate anger for yourself for the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Romans 2,5).

Paul also refers to the day of judgment, referring to it as the “day of God's wrath” on which his righteous judgment is revealed: “Who will give everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who patiently seek good works for glory, honor and immortal life; But anger and rage to those who are contentious and disobey the truth, but obey injustice »(Romans 2,6-8).

Again, this cannot be taken as a complete description of the judgment, as neither grace nor faith is mentioned in it. He says that we are justified not by our works but by faith. “But because we know that man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, we too have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law ; for by the works of the law no man is righteous ”(Galatians 2,16).

Good behavior is good, but it cannot save us. We are declared righteous not because of our own actions, but because we receive the righteousness of Christ and thus participate in it: «But through him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom for us through God and righteousness and sanctification and for Redemption »(1. Corinthians 1,30). Most of the verses about the last judgment say nothing about the grace and love of God, which is a central part of the Christian gospel.

meaning of life

Whenever we ponder judgment, we must always remember that God created us with a purpose. He wants us to live with him in eternal communion and in a close relationship. «Just as men are destined to die once, but afterwards the judgment: so Christ was also once sacrificed to take away the sins of many; the second time he appears not for sin, but for the salvation of those who await him »(Hebrews 9,27-28).

Those who trust him and are made righteous by his work of redemption need not fear judgment. John assures his readers: «In this love is perfected with us, so that we may be free to speak on the day of judgment; because as he is, we are also in this world »(1. John 4,17). Those who belong to Christ will be rewarded.

Unbelievers who refuse to repent, change their lives, and admit that they need the mercy and grace of Christ and the right of God to judge evil are the wicked, and they will receive a different judgment: «So Heaven and earth are now saved by the same word for fire, kept for the day of judgment and the condemnation of ungodly men »(2. Petrus 3,7).

The wicked people who do not repent at judgment will experience the second death and will not be tormented forever. God will do something against evil. In forgiving us, he not only wipes away our evil thoughts, words, and actions as if they don't matter. No, he paid the price for us to put an end to evil and save us from the power of evil. He suffered, conquered and conquered the consequences of our evil.

A day of redemption

A time will come when good and bad will be separated and bad will no longer be. For some, it will be a time when they will be exposed as selfish, rebellious, and evil. For others, it will be a time when they will be saved from evildoers and from the evil that lies within everyone - it will be a time of salvation. Note that “judgment” does not necessarily mean “judgment”. Instead, it means that the good and the bad are sorted out and clearly distinguished from one another. The good is identified, separated from the bad, and the bad is destroyed. Judgment day is a time of redemption, as the following three scriptures state:

• "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3,17).
• «Who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth» (1. Timothy 2,3-4).
• «The Lord does not delay the promise as some consider it a delay; but he has patience with you and does not want anyone to be lost, but that everyone should find repentance »(2. Petrus 2,9).

The saved people who have been made righteous through his work of redemption do not need to fear the last judgment. Those who belong to Christ will receive their eternal reward. But the wicked will suffer eternal death.

The events of the Last Judgment or Eternal Judgment do not match what many Christians have accepted. The late Reformed theologian, Shirley C. Guthrie, suggests that we would do well to realign our thinking about this crisis event: The first thought Christians have when they think of the end of history should not be fearful or vengeful speculation Be about who will be “inside” or “go up” or who will be “outside” or “go down”. It should be the grateful and joyful thought that we can face the time with confidence when the will of the Creator, Reconciler, Redeemer and Restorer will prevail once and for all - when justice over injustice, love over hate, indifference and greed , Peace over hostility, humanity over inhumanity, the kingdom of God will triumph over the powers of darkness. The Last Judgment will not be against the world, but for the benefit of the whole world. "This is good news not only for Christians, but also for all people!"

The judge in the last judgment is Jesus Christ, who died for the people he will judge. He paid the penalty of sin for all of them and made things right. The one who judges the righteous and the unjust is the one who gave his life so that they could live forever. Jesus has already taken the judgment on sin and sinfulness. The merciful Judge Jesus Christ desires that all people have eternal life - and he has made it available to all who are willing to repent and trust in him.

When you, dear reader, realize what Jesus did for you and believe in Jesus, you can look forward to judgment with confidence and joy, knowing that your salvation is certain in Jesus Christ. Those who have not had an opportunity to hear the gospel and accept the faith of Christ will also find that God has already made provision for them. The last judgment should be a time of joy for everyone as it will usher in the glory of the eternal kingdom of God where nothing but love and goodness will exist for all eternity.

by Paul Kroll