Three
Observations
Now that both
phases of the judgment bar of
Christ (the judgment of the
dead and the living) have
been discussed, three
observations need to be made:
- Consider
the righteousness and
fairness of God when
judging mankind. God will
deal with the dead and
the living, the rich and
poor, the educated and
the uneducated, the
Christian and the
non-Christian using the
same witnesses. Everyone
will be judged according
to their actions. “For
God will bring every deed
into judgment, including
every hidden thing,
whether it is good or
evil.” (Ecclesiastes
12:14) “Behold, I
am coming soon! My reward
is with me, and I will
give to everyone
according to what he has
done.” (Revelation
22:12) “The sea
gave up the dead that
were in it, and death and
Hades gave up the dead
that were in them, and
each person was judged
according to what he has
done.” (Revelation
20:13)
- Those who
receive the seal of God
will be set free of
sin’s power. Jesus
said, “Then you
will know the truth, and
the truth will set you
free,” (John
8:32) I cannot emphasize
this aspect of God’s
amazing grace enough!
Think about this: Even
the worst addict or
vilest sinner can be set
free of their addition
and sinful baggage if
only they will step out
in faith and obey the
gospel of Jesus. The
choice for salvation will
be very clear during the
Great Tribulation the
coat will be great. Jesus
says, “If you
love me, you will obey
what I command.”
(John 14:15)
It is interesting to me that
the fourth commandment (which
will become the object of
great hatred) is the only
commandment in the Ten
Commandments that commands
people to cease from work at
an appointed time. What a
wonderful commandment! God
requires rest on His seventh
day so His children can
rejuvenate. The 144,000 will
powerfully proclaim, “Worship
[the Creator on His holy day,
worship] him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea
and the springs of
water,” but
astounding, as it seems,
millions will rebel. The
fourth commandment has been
scorned for centuries and the
wicked will widely resist it
when they arte confronted
with the demands of
God’s law! Why is this
called blasphemy? Blasphemy
is rebellion against the law
of God. “The sinful
mind is hostile to God. It
does not submit to God’s
law, nor can it do so.” (Romans
8:7) This hostility cannot be
justified. It only exists
because we have carnal
natures. Nothing is more
wonderful than a Sabbath rest
from the burdens of life. I
have found God’s Sabbath
rest to be my favorite day of
the week! Jesus said, “Take
my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For
my yoke is easy and my burden
is light.” (Matthew
11:29,30)
3.
By the time Jesus closes His
judgment bar; He will have
passed judgment on every soul
who has even lived on Earth.
When He appears at the Second
Coming, He will deal
separately with three groups
of people”
A.
The righteous dead
B.
The righteous living
C.
The wicked dead
D.
The wicked living
“Behold,
I am coming soon! My reward
is with me, and I will give
to everyone according to what
he has done.”
(Revelation 22:12) Notice
the outcome of each group:
The righteous dead will be
resurrected, and the
righteous living will be
caught up together with the
righteous dead to meet the
Lord in the air. (1
Thessalonians 4:15-17) The
wicked dead will not be
disturbed. They will sleep
through the Second Coming and
be resurrected at the end of
the 1,000 years. (Revelation
20:5) The wicked living will
be destroyed at the second
Coming and they will sleep
during the 1,000 years.
(Revelation 19:19-21) Every
person who lived during
Earth’s 6,000 years of
history will be in one of
these four groups at the
Second Coming.
