The Truth (Part 8): Judgement – Sermon by Steven Loots

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is   coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. John 5: 24 – 27

Introduction

As we continue in the series on The Truth, we have been looking at the fact that man is not an animal, not just flesh and consciousness; but far more. Man is created by God with a purpose and man is a trinity of body, soul and spirit.

Last week we looked at the fact that man lives on after death of his body.

• The question now is what happens to us after death and in the future?

Death is the great equalizer.

• Life on earth goes on.
  • The great and the small die,
  • the famous and the unknown,
  • the rich and the poor.
  • Whether you are missed or forgotten.
• Immediately at death there is a separation of destination between the born-again and the unsaved.
• Every person has an immortal soul and it does not hang around:
  • No ghosts, not human spirits, no chance of communication.
  • Nothing anyone on earth can do to influence where the soul goes or what becomes of it.
    • It is all in God’s hands:
      • No candles, no gifts and no sacrifices.
      • No requests of ancestors.
    • You cannot influence the dead.
    • The dead cannot influence anything on earth.
  • Note: I did not say the separation is between the good and the bad,
    • or between the generous and the stingy,
    • or the popular and the hated.
  • The distinction is between those who trusted in the complete work of Christ and those who did not.
  • The believer finds himself immediately in the presence of God, while the unbeliever is separated from God in a place of torment.
• On earth, time goes on:
  • History plays itself out, waiting for the return of Christ.

This message is not about the exact sequence of events concerning tribulation, millennium, etc.; but about the outcome,

• which is Judgement.

This is where the devil sown doubt and confusion.

• This is where we find a huge amount of false teaching.
• This is an area of great importance both for believers and unbelievers.

Judgement

Judgement is certain.

• Judgment is for all who have ever lived on the planet – including for Christians.
• This may sound strange because most evangelical Christians believe that they will not be judged.
  • Both views are correct.
  • There are different judgements!
  • We all instinctively and mistakenly think about the Great White Throne Judgement.
    • For Christians there is no fear – because we will not come under condemnation, but our works will be evaluated or judged.
    • Our sin is forgiven – judgement of sin is already behind us –
      • Jesus was judged and punished in our place.

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is   coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. John 5: 24 – 27.

And

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Romans 8: 1

The Bible speaks of The Five Separate Future Judgments

In Scripture there appear to be five different types of judgement:

1. The Judgment Seat of Christ. The first of these will be the judgment of the believer’s works, called “The Judgment Seat of Christ.” (We will expand on this and the subject of heaven in the next message.)
2. The Judgment of Regathered Israel. In Daniel 12:1 this judgment is called “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” It will be the punishment of the Jews for their disobedience to God and their rejection of Jesus Christ.
3. The Judgment of the Living Nations. At the end of the Tribulation Period, after Israel has been judged, the nations of earth will be judged by Christ and His Church. This judgment will not be against individuals but against nations for their treatment of the Jewish people. “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:1-2).
4. The Judgment of Fallen Angels. This is the final judgment against Satan and other fallen angels who will be judged with him. Immediately after the one thousand years of the Kingdom Age, Satan and his hosts will meet their doom. “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). At that time we shall see the final fulfilment of that great prophecy in Genesis 3:15.
5. The Judgment of the Unbelieving Dead. This is called the Great White Throne Judgment. After the casting of Satan into Hell, the wicked dead will be raised to receive the final sentence of condemnation (Revelation 20:12-15).

*No believer will be judged at that day as the final judgment is reserved for all who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ on earth.”^[1]

The Future Judgment of the Believer

What happens at the Judgement seat of Christ, how does reward and loss of rewards work and what awaits us in heaven? These are the topics we will deal with in the next message.

God bless you.

Let’s pray.

[1] Strauss, L