CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

JUDGMENT

OUTLINE

1. The judgment on the cross:
   1. The time—approximately A.D. 30.
   2. The place—Golgotha.
   3. The Judge—the righteous God.
   4. The One being judged—Christ—the believers’ Substitute.
   5. The basis—the righteous requirement of God’s law.
   6. The result—justifying all those who believe so that they would not be judged.
2. The judgment of the church:
   1. The time—whenever needed.
   2. The place—within the local church.
   3. The judge—the local church.
   4. The one being judged—a believer who commits a blatant sin and refuses to repent.
   5. The basis—blatant sin.
   6. The result—being removed from the church—cut off from fellowship.
3. The judgment of God’s discipline:
   1. The time—any time.
   2. The place—any place.
   3. The Judge—the Father God.
   4. The ones being judged—the believers who sin and do not judge themselves.
   5. The basis—the Father’s love and good pleasure.
   6. The result—profiting the believers lest they be condemned together with the world.
4. The judgment before the judgment seat of Christ:
   1. The time—at the Lord’s return.
   2. The place—in the air.
   3. The Judge—the Lord.
   4. The ones being judged—the believers.
   5. The basis—the believers’ actions and work.
   6. The result—some receiving a reward and some suffering loss, but themselves being saved.
5. The judgment before Christ’s throne of glory:
   1. The time—when the Lord comes.
   2. The place—the earthly Jerusalem.
   3. The Judge—the Christ who comes in glory.
   4. The ones being judged—the nations living on earth at the time of the Lord’s coming.
   5. The basis—treating the Lord’s brothers, the believers, well or evilly.
   6. The result—some entering eternal life and some entering eternal punishment.
6. The judgment before the great white throne:
   1. The time—after the millennial kingdom, before the new heaven and new earth.
   2. The place—perhaps in the air.
   3. The Judge—the Lord.
   4. The ones being judged—all the dead unbelievers.
   5. The basis—their works which are written in the scrolls.
   6. The result—being cast into the lake of fire.
7. A comparison of the fifth and sixth judgments.

After studying the topics of death and resurrection, we need to consider the topic of judgment. Sin gives birth to death, and death brings in judgment. These topics are interrelated, so we must consider them together.

Judgment is a matter of God’s administration. The Bible shows that God executes His judgment according to His righteousness, by His holiness, and for His glory. His judgment is the execution of His government in the universe. The Epistles of Peter speak of God’s government and God’s kingdom, so they especially speak of God’s judgment. God’s judgment is an important part of His rule and government. The fact that He judges the devil, the people of the world, and the angels shows that He is the sovereign Lord of the universe with the authority to rule. Without His ruling, there would be no government. God is the Ruler of the universe, so the universe has a government. Since there is a government, there is also judgment. God’s judgment is a part of the exercise of His government.

In this chapter we will focus on God’s judgment of man. When some look at this matter in a general way, they think that God’s judgment concerns only the matter of whether a man will go to heaven or hell. But if we carefully examine what God reveals in the Bible, we will see that this is not the case. The Bible speaks of God’s judgment on man that is very particular and that has many distinctions. There are at least six kinds of judgment. Thus, we must spend some time to study God’s judgments carefully. This also will help us to understand the Bible and its prophecies.

We will look at the six judgments of God on man according to six different aspects: (1) the time of judgment, (2) the place of judgment, (3) the one who is judging, (4) the ones being judged, (5) the basis for judgment, and (6) the result of judgment. If we clearly see these six aspects with respect to each type of judgment, we will fully understand each of the judgments of God on man. The chart on the following page will be helpful.