1.6 The Coming Great Day of Judgment

For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. – Romans 14:10-12

The Coming Great Day of Judgment. The Bible tells us that not only is God a God of love (“for God is love”), but He is also “holy” and a God of justice (perfect in “righteousness” and the rule of law), and that He will punish (judge) all sin (that has ever been committed). This is a pretty weighty chapter and not a topic of popular appeal, for His love is often stressed, and His justice is often ignored or downplayed. But it is one we must address and go through in detail to avoid being deceived, for Scripture warns us to be ready for Christ’s return at any moment (e.g., right now) – for that is also the great Day of Judgment.

Scripture tells us that He will bring all sin to a conclusion on this Day of Judgment – which is also referred to as “the great and awesome Day of the Lord,” the “day of Christ Jesus,” the “day of redemption,” the “end of this age,” the “last day,” and the end of time itself. On this Day, God will judge all sin that has ever been committed in the world, and sin will be eradicated, banished from His creation forever, and creation will be restored to its rightful and perfect state – where there is no more curse and no more sin, suffering or death. It is here, if you will allow the analogy, where we meet the grizzly bear depicted on the cover of this book – are you prepared for the encounter?

This will be the most awesomely hopeful or dreadful Day for all mankind in all of human history. Which of those it is depends on how you are able to stand before the Lord on that Day, when we will all stand before the Supreme Court of the Lord for “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” We will all be called to give an account for everything we’ve ever said and done; in fact, all the deeds of man over all of human history will be made known and judged. No one who has ever lived – past, present, or future – will escape this Day of Judgment:

On this Day, God will judge our motives as well as our actions, for “He [God] knows the thoughts of man”; nothing, no matter how dark or secret, can be hidden from God. For it is written: “nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light,” and “whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops,” and “then each of us will give an account of himself to God,” so “that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” It’s only pride and arrogance that cause one to think he or she can hide anything from God, who is Creator of all. You (and I) will have to answer for every single sinful thought, word, deed, action, and motive we have ever had, said, or done. All sin will be judged by a holy, righteous, and just God for what it truly is. He will make no mistakes in judgment either, for He knows all things.

We will all be gathered before Christ on that Day – those who died in sin by rejecting Christ (the lost) will be gathered on “His left,” and those who died in righteousness (the saved, who are covered by the blood of Christ) will be on “His right.” As explained in previous chapters, your spirit is eternal – it lives on fully conscious even after your body dies. When Christ returns for Judgment Day, the spirits of all those who have died will be reunited with their new resurrected eternal bodies; and those alive at Christs’ return will be “changed in an instant” into their new eternal bodies.  The Bible tells us that both the saved and the lost will be resurrected in eternal bodies! You do not pass into nothingness at death, and the wicked (the lost) are not extinguished into nothingness after judgment (the false teaching of annihilation).

At Judgment, “books will be opened” (in which every thought, word, motive, action, and deed you have done in your life is recorded), and then “every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God,” also written as: “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” for Jesus is the Lord God Himself. Even those who did not believe in God and His Christ will bow down and declare Jesus as Lord, to the glory of God. Then judgment will happen. Scripture says that Jesus will be our Judge, but get this, He will also be the attorney for those who have accepted Him! Wouldn’t you like to have the Judge also as your Attorney? How amazing is that! This is explained in the upcoming chapters on the “good news” of the gospel.

The “saved,” those who died “righteous,” “justified,” and “holy and blameless” through “belief” / “faith” in Christ and obedience to the gospel will hear the verdict of “NOT GUILTY” (of sin) along with “Well done, good and faithful servant,” “enter into my rest” in heaven with God and His holy angels forever. The lost, however, those who died in sin by rejecting Christ, will hear the verdict: “GUILTY” (of sin). Scripture also tells us that the penalty for sin is death; the guilty will hear the Judge say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness,” and they will then be thrown “into the eternal fire [hell] which has been prepared for the devil and his angels who followed after him” for all eternity, where they “will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” This is called eternal death, for life can only be found in the presence of God. Only the righteous will enter heaven with God in eternal life; nothing and no one sinful can enter heaven with God.

HELL IS A REAL PLACE OF TORMENT

Make no mistake; hell is a real place, and those who die in sin will be banished there forever, away from the presence of God. It is described as a place of “eternal fire,” a “lake of fire and brimstone,” but also one of “outer darkness” and a place “of torment” where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Hell was “prepared for the devil and his angels who followed after him”; it was not created for man. However, when man chooses to remain in sin (by his own free will – the result of pride and stubbornness), his destination is the same as the devils. Wayne Jackson writes: [1]

The torment of hell comes with the eternal memory and regret of one’s sins searing into their consciousness for all time; for on Judgment Day, everyone will have finally seen their sin (and their sinful nature) fully revealed for what it really is, and they will also have seen God for who He truly is – a patient, merciful, loving, righteous and unimaginably holy God. The lost will have seen the true glory of God and heaven revealed right in front of them, as if almost able to reach out and touch it and grasp it themselves, but they will then realize they are barred from entering such glory for all eternity because of their unforgiven sin. Those condemned to hell will be fully conscious and alive in spirit, and they will have all eternity to regret that they rejected the free gift of eternal life which God offered to everyone. They will see that God was “patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance”; they will see that He tirelessly, mercifully, and continuously reached out to them over the course of their lives, trying to save them from “the wrath [judgment] to come.” They will then have all eternity to think, “what if” I had only listened. Oh, that is the searing torment of hell – and it will all be self-imposed.

This is such an important topic that I want to include what some other writers have said on the subject. Wayne Jackson writes: [2]

H.M. Riggle in Beyond the Tomb writes this on hell: [9]

One last point about hell needs to be stressed: it is eternal in duration. This is also a topic that many don’t like to discuss or preach on – yet Scripture is clear. In fact, the same Greek word that is used to describe the eternal duration of the saints in heaven is also used to describe the eternal duration of the punishment of the wicked in hell. No one argues that the saints won’t have eternal life in heaven, yet they argue that the very same word, when used referring to the wicked in hell, doesn’t mean the same thing! This is horribly inconsistent logic. H.M. Riggle writes in Beyond the Tomb: [10]

IS ETERNAL PUNISHMENT FAIR?

Many refuse to believe that a loving God will sentence anyone to eternal punishment in hell. As I’ve written, we grossly underestimate the nature of sin; we will see sin for what it truly is on Judgment Day. We are thinking from the standpoint of our puny, finite human minds; we do not see sin as God sees it. We also tend to stress (or focus on) the fact that God is loving while dismissing the fact that God is also righteous and just – and He, therefore, must bring all sin into judgment.

We must also remember that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” so that none are lost in judgment, and He has provided a way for each and every person to inherit eternal life. It is only by their own free-will choice that anyone ends up in hell. God doesn’t send anyone to hell – they send themselves there!

Scripture also tells us that hell will have varying degrees of punishment. Those who received greater light and exposure to the truth of God and His Christ Jesus and the message of salvation, but still reject it, will have a harsher punishment to bear. This speaks directly to us today as we have the most widespread access to the gospel “message of truth” in all of history, and with that comes a responsibility to respond to it.

Wayne Jackson writes: [11]

THERE ARE NO “SECOND CHANCES” AFTER DEATH

There are only two great families on Earth, and everyone who has ever been born and will be born belongs to one or the other. You are either in the family of those who are “of their father the devil” or the family of those who are of God through Christ. You belong to one family or the other ­– there is no other option. In fact, if you say to yourself: “Well, I’m just not going to choose either…” you’re only deceiving yourself, for by default when you do that, you are “of their [your] father the devil,” for he is “the ruler of this world.” By not choosing, you have chosen to remain in sin and therefore implicitly chosen who you follow. You can choose whether or not to be a friend of Jesus in this life if you want, but realize that if you do not want Jesus in this life, you won’t have Him in the next life either – which is eternal.

Also, your spiritual state (of sin or righteousness before God) is fixed (set in stone, permanently unchangeable) at the time of your death for all eternity and determines your eternal destiny. There are no “second chances” after you die, as it is written:

There will be no continued lengthy appeals process after the verdict is read, as there can be in the courts of this world. You either die in sin or in righteousness, period. Those who are in sin (unrighteous) at the time of death will remain in sin for eternity; those who die righteous at their death will remain righteous for all eternity. You must prepare to meet God while you are alive in this life, not after you die.

If you die before Christ returns, it is fixed at your death; if you are alive when Christ returns, it is fixed at that instant when Christ appears on the Day of Judgment. If you are covered by the blood of Jesus, your sins are forgiven and forgotten as “far as the east is from the west,” blotted out for all eternity, and get this – Jesus will also be your Attorney pleading your case before God on Judgment Day! But if you are not covered by the blood of Christ, you will have to be your own attorney and plead/argue that you are holy and righteous before Almighty God Himself. But friend, understand that Scripture tells us that “There is no righteous person, not even one.” Even one little teensy tiny sin ever committed by you will condemn you as guilty of sin. Remember, nothing can be concealed before God at that time.

As mentioned, Jesus will be your judge (remember He is God), for “all Judgment has been given to the Son [Jesus].” Why? Because He became a man unto death (the man Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God), and He was tempted in all things as we are, so he knows what we have gone through here in this fallen world. This makes Him our “mediator” (between man and God) and also a fair and impartial judge. He experienced what we do in this fallen world, and yet He remained perfect and sinless unto death. He was victorious over sin and death and the power of the devil – He defeated sin, Satan, and death at the cross, for us!

God will make no errors in judgment. Jesus’ judgment on that great Day will be perfect, righteous, and true. His justice won’t be flawed like human vengeance. Neither will He be swayed by claims of innocence or excuses, nor clever arguments of counsel, nor the subtle twisting or even omission of facts as so often happens in the courts of this world.

Claiming ignorance also will not be an excuse either, for God has made His existence known to all men:

He has also revealed Himself through His written Word (the Bible); we are all called to “accurately handle [rightly divide] the word of truth,” and this is why Scripture admonishes us strongly to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord,” which we do by reading the Bible (see Acts 17:22-32, 2 Peter 3:18, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

And no, the “devil made me do it” excuses won’t hold on Judgment Day either, for “God is not mocked.”

JUDGMENT WILL LAST FOR ETERNITY

Remember, your spirit lives on forever – it is eternal. The only unknown is whether it will live on in heaven or hell. The judgment rendered by God on this great Day will stand unchangeable for all eternity – and eternity is a very (very, very) long time! Our finite human minds simply cannot begin to comprehend it properly. The best words we can find to express it can only begin to touch on the enormousness of eternity. Matthew Henry writes: [12]

H.M. Riggle in Beyond the Tomb writes this about eternity: [13]

To the above, I add my own comment on eternity:

The strange thing about eternity is that
it rushes at you very slowly at first,
almost imperceptibly…
and then suddenly,
all at once
it’s here!

FALSE TEACHINGS ABOUND IN THIS AREA

Many people (and even most Christians!) are looking for more signs and wonders to appear (e.g., in the skies above, Sun, Moon, and stars, etc.) so they will know when the end-time is drawing near, thinking that they will have more time to get ready to meet God when they see these signs start to occur. You will therefore hear it loudly (and repeatedly) proclaimed that all these events must happen before Judgment Day arrives:

• The “Secret Rapture” of the Church: the taking away of believers into heaven with the lost “left behind” here on earth, along with
• A coming “Antichrist” world nationalistic/political figure, and
• A new “Third Temple” built in Jerusalem, and
• The “New World Order/One World Government,” and
• The “Mark of the Beast” (i.e., a 666 tattoo, barcode, chip implant, or whatever the imagination conjures up), and then
• A “7-Year Great Tribulation” period where world forces under the “Antichrist” battle Israel, and then even further
• The “Battle of Armageddon” (often portrayed as a planet-wide nuclear war), and all that still further followed by
• A “Thousand-Year Millennial Reign of Christ on Earth from Jerusalem” where the nation of Israel rules over the entire world.

Or if not those, then something like these:

• We are still waiting for the “great apostasy” to happen first (the falling away referred to by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3), or
• “Worldwide peace on earth” must happen before Christ returns, or
• Other fantastical and mystical prophecies of man (such as the arrival of “Planet X” or “Aliens in Antarctica”), or
• Insert {whatever worldly or political event you want here}

 From a Biblical perspective, those are all false teachings – every single one of them! Sadly, many people believe them. And even sadder, many professing Christians who claim to know Scripture also believe them. As indicated in the book of Revelation, there will continue to be endless wars, famines, and pestilence at various times and places until Christ returns; but such are simply due to the continued sinful behavior and actions of fallen man and this fallen world. The false teachings above have no basis in Scripture.

It is also not surprising that on this topic (Christ’s return and Judgment Day), you encounter a veritable avalanche of false teachings, for they are all designed to trick you out of eternal life. They are created by Satan and furthered by those men who do his bidding here on earth. The false teachings pose a grave danger to both the non-believer and also the believer – for they cause one to procrastinate. For the non-believer, the false teachings may cause you to procrastinate in accepting Christ for salvation, as you think to yourself: “Well, when I see you ‘raptured away,’ then I’ll start to take all this Bible and Jesus stuff seriously.” For the believer, the false teachings may cause you to procrastinate in sharing the gospel message in urgency with your friends and loved ones, for you may also think to yourself: “Well, when you see me ‘raptured’ away, then you’ll finally start to take all this Bible and Jesus stuff seriously.” So, the false teachings are all traps, created to deceive man into thinking there is always more time…just a little more time…and still more time. But one day, Judgment Day will have arrived, and you will not be ready.

While the “evolution” false teaching is primarily brought to you by the secular God-denying world, be aware that many of the false teachings related to Christ’s return and Judgment Day are brought to you by those who appear to be “Christians”: Christian churches, denominations, pastors, publications, books, movies, etc. They are what Scripture calls “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” and they can be just as deadly to your eternal life! If you listen to what modern (liberal, apostate) Christianity is teaching on this subject, or even worse, what is blaring out in stunning and deafening volume from the secular media world, you will be deceived. Even those who do not even believe the Bible and haven’t ever read it seem to want to tell you all about Bible prophecy and what it means. It is amazing to watch Christians listen to and believe what secular sources give as their interpretation of Scripture, and in particular, Bible prophecy! Astounding!

These false teachings are covered in more detail in the Beware the Wolves chapter, but I wanted to mention a few of them here in passing so you are aware of them. Let us now proceed with the truth of what Scripture actually tells us about Christ’s return and Judgment Day…

JUDGMENT DAY WILL ARRIVE WITHOUT WARNING

Because of the false teachings which abound, many are under the impression that they will have more time to prepare for the coming of Judgment Day (the “day of the Lord”) – that they will be able to see more “signs and wonders” in the skies and heavens (and on Earth) and thereby know when it is getting closer, so they can start to take all this “Jesus stuff” seriously. But is this what Scripture actually says? Let us take a look; it is written:

We see that Scripture clearly tells us that Christ’s return will be like “a thief in the night,” “at an hour you do not expect,” while they (nearly everyone) are saying “peace and safety” going about their worldly business as usual, “in which” (that very day) “then comes the end” and “the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” Scripture is abundantly clear that this great Day of Judgment will happen on the same day as Christ’s return (His Second Coming, i.e., advent).

Please note the repeated warnings that Christ’s return happens when least expected by the overwhelming majority of humanity and His return occurs “quickly” [i.e., suddenly, rapidly], “like a thief in the night.” Any teaching to the contrary is false. The only thing that precedes (and announces) the Lord’s return is the final “trumpet of God,” the “last trumpet” of the “seventh angel” of Revelation, which sounds immediately before:

This “last trumpet” will be not some “secret rapture” as the false teachers claim, but an extraordinary event that will be visible and known to everyone who has ever lived (both the living and the dead) – yes, even the dead will be raised to see it. Everyone will then clearly see and know that the Lord Jesus Christ is returning in full “power and great glory,” “revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.” And when this trumpet sounds, people will instantly know that their eternal destiny has been sealed, and that it’s too late to change it. For those not covered by the blood of Christ, their hearts will tremble and fail, as they “hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’,” trying to hide from the presence of God as they finally realize their sinful nature, and “the mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.” These “mountains” are all the things of this world, the institutions and governments and everything created by man along with his endless lust for fame, power, and fortune, which will all be revealed to be absolutely worthless before the Lord on this great Day.

The first time Jesus came to Earth, He came humbly and meekly as a baby and a suffering servant to die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins; the next time He comes/returns, He will come in full power and glory as Lord God Almighty to execute judgment. And when Jesus returns, it will not be to start a “1000-year millennial” reign on here Earth; no, the great Day of Judgment will have arrived! For it is written: “At His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father.” The time of this Day has been fixed beforehand by God, and only He knows when it will occur. You have read that only those who have prepared ahead of time (during their own lifetime) to meet the Lord on that Day can stand with the hope of eternal life; there are no “second chances” after death!

There will be no more signs or wonders to seek, nor other specific political, social, economic, or nationalistic agendas, wars, or special natural disasters before Judgment Day arrives. There will be no more signs and wonders in the heavens (sun, moon, stars) or anything else to come along which will reveal the nearness of Christ’s return and Judgment Day. If you are looking to the stars, blood moons, mystical signs and wonders (i.e., astrology), or false teachings of man, you will be deceived and not ready for it! I’m here to correctly tell you that there is not a single Bible prophecy remaining to be fulfilled before Christ returns! No further warnings will be given before the “Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire” for everyone to see, those alive on the Earth and even those under the earth and under the sea (the living and the dead), “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” It could be today, or tomorrow, or the next day!

Yes, all Bible prophecy has already been fulfilled, even from the book of Revelation, except for the events of (and subsequent to) Christ’s return – which is also the great Day of Judgment. Said differently for the avoidance of any doubt: the very next prophetic Bible event to occur will be Jesus appearing in skies of fire above for all to see at the start of the great Day of Judgment. Yes, you read that right. Be not deceived! Sadly, that statement will come as a shock and surprise even to many professing Christians and pastors who claim to know Scripture. Were Christ to appear today in skies of fire, the vast majority of the Christian church (at least from what I’ve seen of it here in America) would be just as shocked and surprised as the lost! Brother or sister in Christ, that just should not be!

Again, I say, be not deceived by the “wolves” and false teachers which abound today trying to trick you (and your friends and loved ones) into thinking there is more time, always just a little more time… These false teachings are designed (by Satan) to trick you into thinking that you can just wait until the next {…insert whatever national, political, or social event you choose here…} happens, and then you can begin to take all this “God and Bible stuff” seriously. But there will not be more time. When Christ returns, it will be for the great Day of Judgment.

The chapter of Matthew 24, referred to as the Olivet discourse, is often grossly misinterpreted to support the various false teachings.  Matthew 24:1-35 applies only and specifically to the events leading up to (and of) A.D. 70 and the “great tribulation” of the Jews under the Romans (the destruction of Jerusalem). Separately, Matthew 24:36-51 and Matthew 25 (given below) refer to the end of time, which is at Christ’s second coming, which is also the Day of Judgment.

THE WORLD IN AWFUL SLEEP (“As in the days of Noah”)

We are also told that Christ’s return (and Judgment Day) will be “as in the days of Noah.” In the days of Noah, by the Spirit of Jesus, Noah preached the coming judgment by flood for 120 years; all the while God patiently waited for others to come to repentance! During this entire time, Noah was building the ark – but no one listened! That’s right: not even one single person (outside of his own family) listened to the warning given over 120 years until it was too late! But then, suddenly one day, the skies opened, and the flood began: “While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.” It is exactly the same prelude today – we are preaching that judgment is coming and that it grows very near. But is anyone listening? Similarly, in Sodom and Gomorrah, one day started just like all the rest had for as long as they could remember, but then suddenly, “the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire…out of heaven” in judgment.

Wayne Jackson writes on this critically important subject: [14]

It is exactly similar today; I repeat to be abundantly crystal clear without any ambiguity whatsoever: no further warnings will be given! Why am I being so adamant about making this point? It is because, by far and away, the biggest danger I think people face today is complacency. In addition to the false teachings previously mentioned, the abundance, comforts, and convenience of modern life, which abound in large measure today (though not in all places, of course), can lull you into a sense of complacency (on top of procrastination) about ensuring your own eternal destiny – always thinking to yourself, well, there’s more time, more time, always more time. Remember, Satan and his forces of evil are very real, and they mean to totally destroy you! You are falling directly into their trap by thinking that! That trap leads to eternal death!

In times of the early church and its persecution (under the Roman empire and also under the Papacy), when you were going to be thrown into the lion’s den, sawed in half, burned at the stake, or torn to pieces by wild beasts if you confessed Christ, you very quickly and surely sorted out your true faith and allegiance, and you did so with finality! It is well worth reading Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and The Church History by Eusebius to learn more about the persecutions early Christians faced. With the comforts and conveniences of modern life, a person today can easily procrastinate in coming to a decision to accept Christ – delaying it one day at a time and relying on false teachings which say there is “more time” before Jesus returns, until one day, it will be too late. For you will have either died or the great Day of Judgment will have arrived suddenly, and you will not be ready to stand before God. We don’t have any sense of urgency today.

In prior times (dispensations), God spoke through visions, dreams, and prophets; but today, God speaks to us through His Word. And just as God’s instruction and prophecy had ceased for approximately 400 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem, likewise today, all prophecy (secret or otherwise) and explicit communication and new revelation from God to the world have again ceased until Christ’s second coming. We are not to expect further messages, communications, or revelations from God, nor secret visions or prophecies or new prophets – the canon of Scripture has been sealed up and completed, Genesis to Revelation. Just as we are not to look for another yet to come (Christ was It), we are not to look for any new revelations from God. Therefore, if someone today claims to have a new “secret” message or revelation from God, we know that such claims are not in agreement with Scripture.

And just “as in the days of Noah,” when he preached about the flood judgment to come, today we preach “the message of truth” to all who will hear. One day, however, Christ “will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,” and the Great Day of Judgment will have arrived. You are getting all the warnings and signs right now that you will ever get from reading this book and also hearing others preach “the message of truth” to you. We are also not to look for another to come, for Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Savior – in Him God was fully revealed to us.

Please don’t keep waiting for the next worldwide cataclysm event to be “sure” that the Bible (and Christ) is for real. Scripture is abundantly clear that in the last days (which is this gospel/church age we are now in), the world will simply continue to get worse and worse, with men growing colder and colder, meaner, more hateful and sinful, with wars, famine, and pestilence occurring from time to time and in various places:

Yes, the world is in awful sleep regarding all of this; it’s staggering to see people go to great lengths and effort to plan their next weekend sporting event or vacation, but they won’t even lift a finger or spend the smallest amount of time to plan and prepare for their own eternity. The verses above match the world today exceedingly well as the world marches on in awful sleep, ignoring and blatantly mocking God, pursuing its own worldly self-interests, lusts, desires, idols, fame, fortune, and the ways of man, and suppressing the truth of Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry writes: [15]

H.M. Riggle writes in Beyond the Tomb about the “red lights of warning” that God waves in front of us, warning about hell: [16]

Yes, we are on the very brink of eternity. It could happen the very day you are reading this. I have explained that you cannot prepare for your eternity after you die – for your spiritual state is sealed at death. You must prepare right here, right now, in this life. I cannot help you once the “seventh angel” sounds the “trumpet of God” (“the last trumpet”) and Jesus returns; I can only help you now by warning you and showing you in upcoming chapters of this book how to be saved to eternal life through Christ. I can only help you today, not when you see me on the great Day of Judgment. The preaching of this “message of truth” is the only warning you will get. If you, or your friends or loved ones, have not yet accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, it is written that “now [today] is the day of salvation”; “let him who has ears to hear, hear”! Use today wisely knowing you may not get tomorrow – as the great Day of Judgment may have arrived. Please do not delay in your contemplation of this matter of eternal moment.

I hope you are sensing my urgency and outright emotional plea in this chapter; I can do no more than that to encourage you to take all of this seriously and do so today. We read in 2 Peter 3:3-10 (above) that the only reason that the Day of Judgment has not come already and you are still able to read this book at this time on this day is because the Lord is (unbelievably) “patient” towards mankind (and me, and you) out of His abundant “kindness,” “compassion,” “mercy,” “grace,” “love,” and “slowness to anger.” His judgments are delayed so that more people can have time to come to repentance and turn to Him – so that you can still have time to turn to Him.

But just “as in the days of Noah” and in the days of Sodom, the time will come when Time itself is up and Judgment Day arrives. Matthew Henry writes on Revelation 22:20-21: [17]

BE ON THE ALERT (THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY WILL HAPPEN SUDDENLY AND QUICKLY)

And finally, in the book of Revelation, we read several times that Jesus says he is “coming quickly” and that we must “be on the alert”:

You have already read that Jesus’ return will be sudden and unexpected and will catch many unprepared. The word “quickly” in the verses above is the Greek “tachu,” which conveys the idea of swiftly (occurring rapidly), with haste or suddenly (by surprise). The warning given here is that we must prepare now, today, this very day for Jesus’ return and the Great Day of Judgment. We must not procrastinate or delay in making sure that we can stand before God holy and blameless on that Great Day. If you have not prepared beforehand (either before you die or before Christ returns), there will be no time to prepare later. When “Jesus is revealed with all His holy angels in skies of fire,” it will be too late to prepare, for the events of that Day will unfold quickly (rapidly).

Note that the word “quickly” in the verses above does not mean, as some falsely teach, that the great Day of Judgment and Christ’s return was to occur soon after (temporally) the apostles lived (i.e., that Jesus return and the Day of Judgment already happened in A.D. 70); that is the false teaching of “preterism.”

OUR HOPE

So far in this book, we have seen how God’s creation came about, along with the origin of humanity. We then saw the disobedience of man and the introduction of sin, suffering, and death into the world – and we saw that we are all sinful. In this chapter, we have looked forward to the great Day of Judgment – the climax of humanity and the end of time itself. It might be at this point you are feeling a little discouraged, like there is a heavy weight or burden placed on you, and there is no hope; we have been under the bondage of sin heading towards inescapable judgment. You might be thinking: if we are so sinful, fallen, and separated from God, what can I possibly do?

But know there is good, even great news ahead, for God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” so that none are lost in judgment, and He wants all to choose to have eternal life with Him. The Bible explains how we each can become “without sin” and stand before the Lord on the Day of Judgment holy and blameless through grace and the gift of God. In fact, it’s not at all about what you need to do or about what you can do of yourself; it’s about what Someone has already done for you! I think you can guess by now that Someone is Jesus Christ. We’ll cover shortly how you can know Jesus and decide to accept Him as your Lord and Savior (if you want to) – for it is He alone who can save you from sin and judgment. And only He can give you eternal life.

In the next section of the book, we, therefore, start on the path of hope towards redemption from sin and eternal life – the “good news” part of the gospel message. I hope very shortly you will come to see the relentless love of God towards you as it is written:

So, let’s get started on the path to redemption and eternal life…

[Note: But first, I hope you notice the veritable AVALANCHE of false teachings below that center on the topic of Christ’s return and Judgment Day! Someone or something (hint: Satan) really, really, REALLY doesn’t want you to take Judgment Day seriously, and to do so today…this should make you start to wonder if there really is something to all this God, Jesus, Heaven, and Hell stuff after all…yes?]

FALSE TEACHING(S) YOU WILL ENCOUNTER:

• Atheism (there is no God)
• Satan (the devil) is just a myth
• The Bible is simply fictional “myths, folklore and poetry”
• Annihilation after death
• Hell isn’t real
• Man can earn salvation through good works or by being a “good person” (or even buy it with money)
• Dispensational Premillennialism
• Dispensational Postmillennialism
• Universalism (i.e., any name, or any religion, even one you make up, or even no belief at all, can save you to eternal life)
• You get a “2nd Chance” after death
• Distortions of Matthew 24 (the Olivet Discourse)
• Modern/Popular Eschatology (we are waiting for a “Third Temple” to be built, or the “Battle of Armageddon” to occur first, or “the Antichrist” person to arise, or Gog and Magog, or “signs and wonders” in the skies, or the “Secret Rapture,” or the “7-Year Great Tribulation” period, and other bizarre interpretations of the book of Revelation…all false)
• Predictions of Jesus’ return (setting dates)
• Jesus already returned in A.D. 70 (Preterism)
• Bizarre interpretations of the “Mark of the Beast” (i.e., 666)
• Aliens and the Nephilim
• and many others!

RELATED SCRIPTURE:

“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man [Jesus] whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” – Acts 17:30-31

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. – Hebrews 9:27-28

For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. – Romans 14:10b-12

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 3:2

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him [Jesus], and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11

Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. – Luke 12:3

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. – Romans 2:4-8

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” – Matthew 3:11

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. – Romans 1:18-25

For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. – Ecclesiastes 12:14

But the Lord abides forever;
He has established His throne for judgment,
And He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. – Psalm 9:7-8

For the Lord is our judge,
The Lord is our lawgiver,
The Lord is our king;
He will save us. – Isaiah 33:22

God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day [against the wicked]. – Psalm 7:11

He summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people. – Psalm 50:4

And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on earth!” – Psalm 58:11

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
Before the Lord, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness. – Psalm 96:11-13

And the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is judge.   Selah. – Psalm 50:6

You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared and was still
When God arose to judgment,
To save all the humble of the earth.  Selah. – Psalm 76:8-9

Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud. – Psalm 94:2

It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” – Jude 1:14-15

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.” – Matthew 16:24-27

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” – Revelation 21:8

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. – Hebrews 12:25-29 [Note: Sin will be consumed, destroyed, at the end of time (this church, gospel age) on the Day of Judgment, for God is holy]

It is a terrifying [fearful] thing to fall into the hands of the living God. – Hebrews 10:31 [Note: This verse applies to those who die in sin, who are not covered by the righteousness of Christ on the Day of Judgment. This is explained in upcoming chapters.]

And the devil who deceived them [all those who followed him instead of Christ] was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Then I saw a great white throne [on the great Day of Judgment] and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20:10-15

…and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it [New Jerusalem], but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. – Revelation 21:27

“Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” – Revelation 22:11

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. – Galatians 6:7-8

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish. – Psalm 1

The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy. – Psalm 145:17-20

Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy
Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And the peoples with equity. – Psalm 98:7-9

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” – Mark 13:31

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