Death and Judgement
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Introduction
Introduction
This morning I mentioned that old familiar quote that “nothing is certain in life except death and taxes.”
Now I wanted to give credit where credit is due on that quote, and so I thought you might like to know who that quote is attributed to, and that is Benjamin Franklin.
Now when I was looking that up I came across an addition that Oklahoma’s Favorite Son, Will Rogers added to that quote.
He said,
“The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time that congress meets.”
We discussed this morning the coming of the day of the Lord from .
It’s Certainty
It’s Timing
It’s resulting destruction of the Physical universe
And how then Christians should live knowing all of that.
Tonight we are going to discuss the simple topic of Judgement in it’s various forms,
Judgement while living
Judgement after death
Future Judgement
Transition: We Begin tonight by looking at the kind of judgement that should concern us currently, not because it’s any less important than the other two, but because it is only this judgement that we can currently change. And that is the fact that God is able to make judgments upon mankind in the moment as we live from day to day.
Judged While Alive
Judged While Alive
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
We of course shouldn’t be surprised by this, it makes complete sense that God is not only concerned with us after death or at the end of time, but that he cares for us now, every moment of every day. And while it’s true that those who reject Christ stand currently condemned, it can also be true of Christians as well.
- Simon the sorcerer, tries to buy the gifts of passing on gifts of the spirit, Peter says to him
20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
Acts 8:20
Judged after Death
Judged after Death
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
Yet again Christianity has long struggled with the timing of this biblical statement.
Does “after” mean immediately after or after in some future sense as in the day of the Lord after?
If it is immediately after, what does that look like? If we are judged immediately after we die, why do we need to be judged again on the day of the Lord?
Yet if it is not immediately, do we have an awareness after death or do we just “sleep” as the scripture is so fond of using until judgement?
Precious little that addresses this problem head on, but I do think through several key scriptures we can find our answer:
God of the living, not the dead
We further see this on the mount where Jesus was transfigured
- Moses and Elijah were there in a physical form - very obviously not sleeping.
Jesus told the thief hanging next to him on the Cross
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Paul said better to die and be with the Lord
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
Jesus MAYBE gives a glimpse into the afterlife and the immediacy of judgement in his account of the Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Great debate here on whether or not Jesus intended for us to use this story as doctrine of the afterlife.
Many say that the point of the story is to show that a persons wealth and position in this life hold no standing in the hereafter, and that the scriptures are sufficient to lead us to salvation, and everything regarding the story is just that to prove this point, therefore this may not be exactly how life after death works.
But I’m in the camp that I just can’t see Jesus purposely coming up with a falsity regarding much sought after information regarding the afterlife.
Yes the focus of the story is not the afterlife itself, but I don’t believe Jesus would have any reason to not use his absolute knowledge of what happens after death and take the opportunity to teach two things simultaneously.
So it appears from this account, that the ongoing judgement that happens while we are alive, that a temporary sentencing occurs at death at which time we find ourselves in one of two places
Hades in Torment
or in Paradise at Abraham’s side
and fixed between these two points is a great chasm, an uncross able void.
And when we get to this point, there is nothing that can be done to change our fate, there is no amount of begging, pleading, or repenting that will remove you from the torment, and there is no one that will pull you from paradise. What has been judged is judged, yet there is one more judgement that remains.
Future Judgement
Future Judgement
This morning we discussed the certainty of the coming of the Lord and this very same day is repeatedly tied to what is often referred to as the Great white thrown judgement.
Paul spoke of this day to the the men of Athens in the midst of the Areapagus when he said:
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Jesus spoke of that day in Matthew 25
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31
It seems this is the same event that John wrote about in Revelation 20
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Rev 20:11-
And that’s what I said this morning when I spoke about what Marshall Keeble said about that fine Texas ranch “The Lord’s going to burn it all up!”
And all that will be left on that day is you and me and everyone who has ever lived or ever will live and according to
11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
As I said this morning, my brain fails me to even try to imagine what that will be like.
To be face to face with God in all of his Glory how will I dare find the ability to speak?
In the presence of his Majesty how utterly ridiculous will any and all of my transgressions against Him seem?
But for us a Christians, this day shouldn’t be cause for terror, but for rejoicing, because in that moment we won’t need to try to justify our actions, instead we’ll appeal to Christ and the blood that he shed on our behalf.
Jesus said in
Notes
Notes
Hebrews 9:
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
Acts 17:
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Luke 16:19-
22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
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 execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works:
On that day of Judgement, if all we have is our works, if we somehow think that we deserve pardon from our sins based upon ourselves, we will be sorely mistaken.
Our only hope on that day is to be found washed in the blood of Christ.
Those who are not will hear the dreadful words “depart from me, I never knew you.”
and those who are and lived faithfully will hear “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
The question for you tonight is which one will you hear?
You have the opportunity today to change, to repent, to get right with God or to put him on in baptism.
