Johan Malan, Mossel Bay, South Africa (February 2014)
Righteousness is one of the attributes of God to which little attention is given in modern preaching and Bible study. This characteristic of God explains why He demands justice and righteousness from all people who were created in His likeness (Eph. 4:24), and why He hates and forbids all forms of unrighteousness. Unrighteousness is sin, and God committed Himself towards eradicating sin by pouring out His wrath and judgements upon all unrepentant sinners. After the final judgement and the condemnation of sinners together with the devil who deceived them, He envisages a new creation into which no sin and unrighteousness will ever enter.
Another and more popular attribute of God is His mercifulness, which induces Him to show mercy to sinners by forgiving their sins and cleansing them from all unrighteousness. However, His grace does not in any way nullify His just punishment for sinners as sin can only be forgiven after it has been justly punished. That is where Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross comes in. God invites all sinners to repent through Christ as that is the only way to avoid the judgement upon sinners:
“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). Since Jesus died and rose again from the dead, the way has been opened to the conversion of all sinners. Those who are not reconciled to God through His atoning death will have to serve the death penalty for their own sins.
Since Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for the sins of the world He is not only the Saviour of lost humanity but also the Judge who will condemn all who remain unrepentant. He is committed to judging all who prefer the way of sin above His righteousness and grace. Since the first coming of Jesus we are living in the dispensation of grace during which anybody can be saved, but soon the time for grace will expire when the end-time judgements are poured out. The large number of unsaved people who love darkness rather than light (John 3:19), will be subjected to God’s wrath during the great tribulation. It is with a view to these ominous developments that we should continue to diligently proclaim the message of repentance throughout the world as it offers the only true hope on salvation.
When people are called to repentance and faith in Christ we should ensure that they fully understand the reality of God’s judgements. Grace can only be properly comprehended in the light of God’s just wrath, and there are indeed a number of judgements in the offing. The New Testament dispensation begins with a judgement on sin and ends with two big judgements – one for believers and one for unbelievers. Between these two periods of divine judgements elapses the entire dispensation of grace, i.e. the church age, when the message of Jesus Christ’s saving grace should be proclaimed to all nations. However, together with the message of grace the message of God’s judgements should also be proclaimed, as that emphasises people’s accountability to God for what they have done with their lives. Sooner or later, everybody will appear before His throne.
The close relationship between grace and judgement is also evident from the fact that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgement (John 16:8). A person should first be convicted of his own sinfulness and lost state, as well as the death penalty which has been imposed upon all sinners. Subsequently, he is convicted of the righteousness of Christ. He is the Lamb of God who bore our sins and is therefore able to offer us forgiveness and redemption: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). God’s judgement is awaiting those who refused His gift of grace.
Let us now consider the judgement which was executed right at the beginning of the Christian dispensation. The death penalty on sinners has already been imposed in Old Testament times: “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:4). God’s holiness, righteousness and the inerrancy of His Word demand that sin should be punished. On Golgotha, Christ took the punishment for all the world’s sins on Himself: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him. ... All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:5-6).
The moment when the burden of the world’s sin was laid upon Jesus, a dark cloud separated Him from His Father. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus surrendered Himself to Him who judges righteously, so He could bear our sins in His own body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:23-24). He fully served the death penalty which God had imposed upon sinners and rose victoriously from death.
The Lord Jesus now offers forgiveness of sins and a new life to all repentant sinners who approach Him for salvation. The fact that He, through His death, bore the penalty for our sins is our surety that we will not come into judgement: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1). The Lord says that everyone who believes in Him “shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). Believers are not judged together with unbelievers, and for the same reason they will not pass through the coming tribulation period.
During the entire church dispensation, while the gospel is proclaimed to all nations, the judgements of God continue to rest upon the great majority of unsaved people who are on the broad way to perdition. However, during this dispensation the Lord does not judge people as He did during the times of the Flood and Sodom and Gomorrah, as it is now the dispensation of grace – not of judgements. The judgements have been postponed to the end-time after the church age has been concluded.
We are now living in the last days of the church age, which are characterised by a great falling away from the truth of God’s Word. A process of polarisation is occurring between those who pursue the spiritual and moral standards of the Bible, and those who openly despise divine precepts. These two groups are moving further away from each other, while apostatising is taking on unprecedented proportions. The Lord Jesus says: “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Rev. 22:11-12). The works of people are the outward expressions of their inner convictions, and will therefore be used by the Lord as a basis for judgement.
Those who are on the narrow way of holiness are preparing themselves to meet the heavenly Bridegroom at the rapture, and for that reason they are committed to become increasingly conformed to Him: “And everyone who has this hope in [His appearance] purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). The other group of people on the path of unrighteousness are ever moving further away from the true Christ, and are thus prepared and inclined to become followers of the Antichrist after the rapture. Many of them belong to churches which are only nominally Christian, but have moved away very far from the truth: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). Together with the supporters of non-Christian religions they will follow the Antichrist in amazement, not realising that he is a false christ (Rev. 13:3).
We are currently experiencing the final materialising of these two groups on earth. The small group of true followers of Christ are increasingly coming under pressure because of their refusal to adapt to the emerging new world order, which is fundamentally antichristian. The large group of apostates includes all the unbelievers and the adherents of non-Christian religions, as well as nominal Christians who only have a form of godliness without being born again. They are inevitably heading towards the judgements of God, which will be poured out upon an unrepentant world during the tribulation period.
Will Christians be judged together with unbelievers? No, they will not appear before the great white throne where the wicked will be condemned to the lake of fire. However, believers will appear before the judgement seat of Christ where their works will be judged with a view to rewarding the overcomers for diligent service. At the end of the church dispensation, deceased believers of all ages will be resurrected in glorified bodies, while the living saints will also receive imperishable bodies in the twinkling of an eye (1 Thess. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-52). Together they will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, after which they will appear before His judgement seat in heaven to give account of their lives and to receive rewards of grace.
Paul will also be among this great multitude who will appear before the judgement seat. He says: “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). “That Day” refers to the Day of the Lord, which will begin during the seven years of tribulation. During that time, shortly after the rapture, Paul will appear before Jesus as Judge to receive the rewards for his service to the Lord. All believers are included in this appointment: “For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. ... So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:10, 12).
Peter also confirms the fact that Christ’s first appointment will be with His church: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Pet. 4:17-18). This judgement is not a matter which we should consider lightly, since many Christians will scarcely be saved. They will only just comply with the basic requirement of salvation, but will have neglected the command to grow up to spiritual maturity and to dedicate themselves towards serving the Lord.
Because of this situation, the rewards which Christians will receive will vary considerably from person to person. “Each one will receive his own reward according to his own labour. ... Let each one take heed how he builds on [the foundation, Jesus Christ]. ... Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest. ... If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:8-15). Christians are admonished to do works which are worthy of repentance (Matt. 3:8) as that will ensure that they do not, at the end of their lives, appear before the Lord empty-handed. The Lord did not only save us to go to heaven one day, but specifically also to work for Him on earth and expand His kingdom through the salvation of souls (John 20:21).
In various parables, the Lord emphasises this important principle of the rendering of service. In Luke 19:11-28 He says that He gave each of His servants a mina to put to use in His kingdom. The mina refers to the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, which is a divine ability to work for the Lord. From this parable it is evident that the servants of the Lord are not equally committed to serving Him, as some of them are making abundant profit, others gain less and yet another group makes no profit at all. The lazy servant who only offered excuses for not working for his Lord, lost even that which he had: “... to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Luke 19:26).
If you fail to use the opportunities which the Lord offers you, they will be taken away from you and given to others who are prepared to do their Christian duty. In this way you will marginalise yourself and never grow up to spiritual maturity. In this frame of mind your knowledge of the Lord and His Word will not increase, and for the same reason your insight and discernment will not develop any further. Paul says that such people do not grow up to the stature of the fullness of Christ but remain “children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).
The appointment before the judgement seat is not about salvation, as only saved people will appear before Christ on this occasion – it is aimed at determining the nature of your life after conversion. Did you only accept the Lord’s grace for salvation and content yourself with it, or did you also trust Him for grace for the filling of the Holy Spirit and to equip you for service in His kingdom? The purpose with your salvation is indeed not only confined to escaping the judgements of God, but also to live holy, to eagerly expect His coming, and to serve Him with all your strength:
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Tit. 2:11-14; cf. Eph. 5:25-27).
Paul made full use of the manifold grace of the Lord to meet every need of his life and Christian ministry. He said: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace towards me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). Do you draw on this vast source of grace, and also offer it to others? “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet. 4:10).
We are not saved by works as we are freely justified by the grace of Christ. However, works are the evidence or outcome of our salvation, as the fruit of the Holy Spirit should be abundant in our lives. After our salvation the Lord sends all of us to work in his vineyard and to be His witnesses – some of us fulltime and others part-time. But we should all be witnesses wherever we go. If we do not engage in this activity we have a dead faith, as faith without works is dead (Jas 2:17). Faith in the Lord Jesus is a dynamic power which works through us to reach out to a perishing world by offering the grace of Christ to the lost.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by your actions but allow Him to continue convicting you of sin, righteousness and judgement. No Christian is perfect, and we should therefore be sensitive to the sin of which the Spirit of God convicts us, and be prepared to immediately confess and forsake it. We should also become more acquainted with the righteousness of Christ, and trust the Holy Spirit to fill us to such an extent with the holiness of Christ that the light of His presence will shine through us without hindrance. Furthermore, we should seriously regard the coming judgements of God
, and warn the unsaved world against them. At the same time, we should diligently prepare for our own appointment before the judgement seat of Christ, lest we be found as lazy servants who will only be saved as through fire.
Will you be able to give account of your life with boldness, or are there still sins and carnal attitudes which have not yet been dealt with? Put matters straight now, as you stand to lose a lot if your fleshliness and double standards are only revealed when it will be too late to make a new surrender to the Lord and to trust Him for sanctification and spiritual growth.
After the church dispensation has been concluded by the rapture, a time of divine judgements will dawn on earth, which will last for seven years (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 11:2-3; 12:6; 13:15). During the first half of the tribulation there will be a time of false peace under the leadership of the Antichrist. That will be followed by 42 months of great tribulation as there has never been since the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 13:5). During this time, 21 judgements of God will be poured out upon the world – i.e. the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowl judgements of which we read in Revelation 6 through 19. The Lord Jesus said that if these days were not shortened no flesh would be saved (Matt. 24:22). He likened the judgements during His second coming to the times of Noah and Lot when great multitudes of wicked people on earth were destroyed:
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:26-30).
The tribulation period will see an outpouring of divine wrath upon sinners which will be unprecedented in world history. Isaiah also refers to this time: “Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it” (Isa. 13:9). The Lord adds to this: “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible” (Isa. 13:11). This will be a time of the large-scale annihilation of wicked people who rejected the Triune God, His Word and His righteousness, while persecuting and killing His worshippers.
Terrible plagues will be poured out on earth during this time: “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26). People will be so terrified by the severity of natural disasters that they will flee to the mountains, and call out to the rocks: “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev. 6:16-17). This day of wrath refers to God’s judgements upon an unrepentant humanity.
Few people will survive this time of horror: “The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants. ... Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left” (Isa. 24:5-6).
After the earth has been purged of wicked people, the Antichrist and false prophet have been destroyed, and the devil is incarcerated in the pit, Christ will establish His thousand-year reign of peace on earth. The second resurrection will only occur at the end of the millennial rule, when all the wicked of all times will appear before the great white throne for the final judgement (Rev. 20:5-6, 11-15).
You will have to make a choice about your final destination as the Lord has taken a sovereign decision to give every person a free will. Nobody has been predestined for heaven or hell, as the Lord “is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). If He is your Saviour, He has already paid the penalty for your sins and imputed His righteousness to you. But if He is not your Saviour because you have eluded Him and never bowed your knees before Him in repentance, you will have to bear the inevitable punishment for your sin. That will be no less than eternal death in the company of the devil and his angels (Rev. 20:10-15).
Every person is faced with a choice between the narrow way of the Lord and the broad way of sin. It is imperative that the final destination of these two ways are clearly proclaimed to people, so they can appreciate the seriousness of the matter, make the right choice now and abide by it.