JUDGMENT DAY
Our text: (Heb 9:27 KJV) "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment..."
Just a word, before we get into the lesson:
Some of you may be inclined at this moment to turn off or tune out and not listen to this message, because it may make you uncomfortable to think about the Judgment. I beg you not to do that this time. First, ignoring it is not going to make it go away. And, Second, it may just be that God is speaking an important message to your soul through these upcoming words.
First off, the words of Heb 9:27 say that there is LIFE AFTER DEATH. The fifteen little words of our text have a lot to say. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Some people do not believe there is anything after death, for they think death ends it all. Many other people who are not trying to live right may not really believe this, but they are trying to wish it away, because they know they are not prepared for a Judgment if there is one.
The claim for life after death means that man is more than dust and clay. The Bible says, (Gen 2:7 KJV) "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
(Eccl 12:7 KJV) Speaking of Death: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
The Bible tells us that after death, our soul lives on. Speaking of the early Christian martyrs, John said, (Rev 6:9-10 KJV) "...I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: {10} And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
NOTE:
1. People were still living on earth.
2. These martyrs had died.
3. Their souls lived on under the altar of God.
At the Resurrection, our bodies will be raised incorruptible and reoccupied by our spirits.
Then IN THE SECOND PLACE, our text tells us about something that we are going to face after death. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment..." Actually, as we learn from the book of Revelation, this day of judgment will be after the resurrection on the last day: (Rev 20:11-15 KJV) "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. {12} And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. {13} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. {14} And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
The thought of standing before Almighty God, the Ruler of the Universe, in judgment is an awesome thought. (2 Cor 5:9-10 KJV) "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. {10} For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
The impending judgment is just as sure as was the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, the resurrection of Jesus is God's evidence to us that the Judgment is for real. The apostle Paul said, (Acts 17:30-31 KJV) "And the times of this ignorance God winked at (or, overlooked); but now commandeth all men every where to repent: {31} Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."
The term "JUDGMENT" carries with it the idea of "giving account." And we just don't like to have to give account. We don't like to be called on by a parent, or a spouse, or a boss to "give account" for what we did or how we used what we were allotted. And the idea that we would be called upon by God Almighty, our Creator, to stand before Him and give account for every thing we have done in life, and what we did with everything that He gave us, is almost overwhelming! But we will ALL be there! The Bible says we must ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ. John saw the dead, small and great standing before God. There is no place to hide. You and I will be right there!
As John envisioned the last day, He described it like this: (Rev 6:14-17 KJV) "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. {15} And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; {16} And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: {17} For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
But the Judgment may be a little bit different from what we had imagined. It seems most people imagine the judgment as being more or less a "TRIAL" to determine our guilt or innocence. But there will be no "TRIALS" as we know them up there. There will be no Jurors, no accusers, and no defence. There will only be the Judge--and He already knows our guilt or innocence. So I like to think of the judgment day as basically the time of sentencing. And that may be either positive or negative--either in terms of rewards or punishment.
Most people do not like to think of the Judgment day, because they think of it only in a negative sense, only in terms of punishment. But those who are right with God can LOOK FORWARD to the day of Judgment as the time when we will receive our reward!
Our attitude toward something is determined by our relationship to it. Suppose your grandfather is a member of the law enforcement agency--a sheriff, policeman or a state trooper. You see him coming to knock on the front door, and you have no apprehension, because he is your grandfather, and you have confidence that he is coming to pay you a friendly visit. If on the other hand, he is not your grandfather, and you have no good relationship with him and you see him approaching to knock at the door, you may have quite a bit of apprehension. Your attitude toward the man depends upon your relationship with him.
And the same is true with our attitude toward God. If we are in right relationship with the Lord we can look forward to meeting Him and receiving our reward.
Notice that the Bible speaks of the day of judgment in a very positive way for the faithful Christian. Jesus says, (Rev 22:12 KJV) "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
And the apostle Paul said, (2 Tim 4:7-8 KJV) "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: {8} Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
James said, (James 1:12 KJV) "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."
(Mat 16:27 KJV) "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."
Those who are in right relationship will hear the Lord say, (Mat 25:34 KJV) "...Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Or, (Mat 25:21 KJV) "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
So, being in a right relationship with the Lord will remove the dread and fear of the Judgment. John explained it like this: (1 John 4:17-18 KJV) "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. {18} There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
But back to Revelation chapter 20: Notice what is said about being written in the book of life: (Rev 20:13-15 KJV) "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. {14} And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
So in regard to the Judgment, the million dollar question becomes: Is my name in the book of life?
There are also other passages of Scripture that stress this point. Concerning the Heavenly City it is said, (Rev 21:27 KJV) "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
What is this "Book of life?" --It is Heaven's roll book; the register of those who are citizens of Heaven. The apostle Paul wrote: (Phil 3:20 NRSV) "But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." James said, (James 5:9 KJV) "...Behold, the judge standeth before the door." He is talking about the coming of Christ. But if our CITIZENSHIP is in Heaven, then we can look forward to the coming of Jesus as our Saviour!
The Book of Life is the Lord's master church roll on high. Jesus told His disciples, (Luke 10:20 KJV) "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."
And the Hebrew writer spoke of, (Heb 12:23 KJV) "...The general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven...."
When a person becomes a Christian in trusting Jesus and obeying the Gospel, the Lord adds him to Heaven's Roll-book. (Acts 2:38 KJV) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:41 KJV) "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." (Acts 2:47 KJV) "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Or, were being saved, as many translations put it.)
So that's what it takes to be enrolled in the Lamb's Book of Life. And what does it take to stay there? Jesus said, (Rev 3:5 KJV) "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." If the overcomer will not be blotted out of the book, then the inverse is also true, that the person who fails will be.
And that is what is really going to matter on the day of Judgment, for: "Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire, (Rev. 20:15).
Just imagine: The trumpet has sounded. The heavens have been rolled back as a scroll. The end has come. You and a sea of others are standing before the judgment bar of God. The books are opened. Heaven's gates are before you. Acrid sulfur smoke arises from the lake of fire beneath. You know that "Whosoever is not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire." Will anything else matter then? -Certainly not! And the time to do something about it is NOW! (2 Cor 6:2 KJV) "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"
Who will be the Judge?
--Jesus. He walked in the temple of flesh for 33 years. He knows our weaknesses and our temptations. He knows that with God all things are possible. He will know that, if we fail, it is because we failed to hold on to the hand of God. Jesus said, (John 5:22-23 KJV) "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: {23} That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."What will be the Standard of Judgment?
--God's Word. (John 12:48 KJV) "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."It would be unfair for a teacher to give students a test without first giving them the material they need to prepare for that test. And God would not do that, either. (Micah 6:8 KJV) "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
Jesus said, (Mat 7:21 KJV) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
Some people seem to think that the church will not be judged: only the people of the world will. God tells us, on the other hand, that judgment is going to begin with the church, and the people of the world don't stand a chance. The apostle Peter asks, (1 Pet 4:17-18 KJV) "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? {18} And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"
And the apostle Paul answers the question, (2 Th 1:7-10 KJV) "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, {8} In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: {9} Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; {10} When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."
Conclusion
Will the Judgment be? --Yes. When will it be? --At the end of the way: once to die, and after that, the Judgment. How long will it be? --No one knows. But one thing for sure: if you are forty years old, it is forty years closer than when you were born. Who will be there? --You and I, along with everyone else that is living, has lived, or will live between now and the end of the world. Who will be the Judge? --Jesus. What will we be judged by? --The Bible, our works, and by whether or not our name is in Heaven's Book of Life. Will you be ready for the Judgment when you die, or when the Lord comes again? --Only you can answer that question. But if you are not ready for the Judgment now, it is very unlikely that you will be ready for it then--unless you decide to do something about it NOW.
I leave you with these impressive words from the pen of the apostle Peter:
(2 Pet 3:3-14 KJV) "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, {4} And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. {5} For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: {6} Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: {7} But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. {8} But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. {9} The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. {10} But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. {11} Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, {12} Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? {13} Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. {14} Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless."