“And as it is appointed for men to
die once, but after this the judgment,” - Hebrews 9:27 NKJV
Since there is judgment after death then death is not the final event. It’s a transition from redemption to
consummation.
Also there are two judgments: The
Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment.
Depending upon your
relationship with Christ every person will be in one judgment or the other.
Psalm 1:5 (KJV) Therefore the
ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous.
There is a judgment for the
righteous and a judgment for unbelievers and all who reject Christ. This is a hard thing but we must
follow the Word of God. God is love but he must judge sin, rebellion and
disobedience. He is holy and His judgment is righteous and just.
The Judgment Seat of Christ: This judgment is for those who are saved, for believers
for whom Christ is Lord of their lives.
2 Cor 5:10 For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.
When were you
in the body? – this is when you are on earth, when you are alive. You will
receive rewards for what you do for the kingdom of God while you are a
Christian. (I Corinthians 3:12-15 NKJV)
There are crowns and rewards at the Judgment Seat – e.g. for sharing the gospel, overcoming temptation, for faithfulness,
for developing a Christlike character. For Christians, death should remind you
and wake you up – what am I doing for the advancement of the kingdom of God? Is
my priority God, family then ministry? We have to always reevaluate our
salvation progress.
But there is another judgment – The Great White Throne Judgment. This judgment is for unbelievers, those who reject Christ. I
would not want anyone, friend or foe, to be in this judgment.
Revelation 20:11-14 NKJV “Then
I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another
book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according
to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up
the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in
them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Here what the Bible says about the
finality of this Great White Throne Judgment:
Revelation 21: 8 But the
cowardly, unbelieving, abominable,
murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have
their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second
death.”
Now you may be scared after hearing all this about
judgment, but there is no need for alarm. There is still good news. The good news is the love of God. You can
see from the creation through the fall of man, redemption and consummation
God’s love is the overriding factor. He loves all mankind and he desires that
all would come to repentance through Jesus Christ. God wants everyone saved.
John 3:16 For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.
You have a choice to make. Respond positively to the call of Jesus Christ and be saved. Christ has already done the work of salvation, you make the choice.
