ETERNAL JUDGMENT

                                           ETERNAL JUDGMENT

INDEX:
- WE ARE ETERNAL BEINGS
- THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF HUMANS
- THE TOOLS HE GAVE TO THE WORLD 
- REVELATIONS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 
-  THE ARRIVAL OF THE MESSIAH - THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THE GOSPEL
- GOD'S JUDGMENTS IN LIFE, AND JUDGMENT DAY
- ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE WILL BE JUDGED ON?
- HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR ETERNAL JUDGMENT?
- THE ANSWER TO THE BIG QUESTION, WHO IS GOING TO HELL?
- CONCLUSION


 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for EVER AND EVER.” Revelation 20: 10

 

“For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” 2 Corinthians 5:10-11

 

“And I saw a Great White Throne, and Him that sat on it, from WHOSE FACE the earth and heaven fled away (PLEASE NOTE THE POWER AND MAJESTY OF THE ALMIGHTY before WHOM we shall all stand), and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged   out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death. And whosoever was not   found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.” Revelation 20:11-15

WE ARE ETERNAL BEINGS
 - God has created us as eternal beings and we will spent eternity somewhere. Our spirits and souls do not die, and our bodies will be resurrected, then at the final judgment which He has set before us will determine where and how. What we need to do now is make our initial decision where we wish to spend our eternity - with Him, or without Him, and carefully live our lives accordingly! 

 

THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF HUMANS

 From the first chapters of Genesis 1:28, God has set a design and purpose for we humans, commissioned us, and provided for us all the things that we needed for our care, and to fulfill His purposes.

When sin entered into the world, Genesis 3, He still left us as free will agents accountable to Him for all our choices and actions.

 THE TOOLS HE GAVE THE OLD WORLD  

 With the entrance of sin and the fall of man into corruption, we became vulnerable to every form of evil; however, God had left tools before the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible (which is the final authority) that enabled every individual to make right choices.

Understanding – Unlike the animals, we were created in His image and likeness, though even in a fallen state, we have the ability to understand right from wrong and consequences. Psalm 32:9

Conscience – He has placed within every human a conscience to alert us  when we have crossed a moral line. Romans 2:14-15

Love, Compassion, Empathy – Again, though sinners, we still bear godly characteristics and are able to function in love and compassion, which also enables us to discern what is best for another and so treat even strangers with empathy and kindness. Acts 28:2

Justice and Judgment – These are more godly characteristics that are not mere instinct but actual attributes of God Himself that He instilled into us as His Children. Acts 23:29, 25:16-17

 The Ability to Act with Integrity – Even though the Lord testifies about us through the Scripture that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9, yet God has given us the ability to walk in integrity, and to have a pure heart. Genesis 20:5-6, Matthew 5:8

Faith and the Desire to Search for our Maker – Genesis 4:26, Acts 17:23, 27 When we consider Abraham the ‘man of faith’ for example, how he obeyed God and was called the ‘friend of God’ in a time when the knowledge and revelation of God was becoming increasingly obscure due to the growing idolatry, he still pursued the True and Living God wholeheartedly (Romans 4). Also Enoch walked with God so closely that he was taken directly to heaven and bypassed death altogether. Genesis 5:24, Hebrews 11:5

God has revealed Himself through Nature – “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made even His eternal power and Godhead, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:19-20

 God has set Eternity in our Hearts – “…He has also set Eternity in the hearts of men…” Ecclesiastes 3:11. Therefore man has understood that there is more to existence than this life, and along with that we are able to grasp many of the related issues, including Eternal Judgment.

 REVELATIONS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
– With the passing of time from the early days the first knowledge of God that was passed down through the ancestors was becoming increasingly diminished. The Human Race continued drifting further from the true knowledge of God not having a current revelation or guidance (please remember that man was designed to walk with God, but the relationship was severed because of sin). Yet all along, the Lord Himself was rethreading the relationship through the lineage of Abraham. Then the first restorative climax that God Himself presented was through Moses. Through Moses the documentation from Creation, the fall of man, the revelation of God’s very person “the Eternal”, the 10 Commandments and all the related laws of His justice and nature was put down in writing. From that time on and eventually due to the temporary fall of the kingdoms of Israel, this knowledge was spread throughout the known world carried by the dispersion of the Israelites, “For Moses of old time has in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.” Acts 15:21.

 Mankind now had access to the knowledge of the True and Living God, the Creator of all things, and His laws and justice. Our awareness was growing, and any possible excuses to justify non-accountability due to ignorance has been steadily diminishing. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commands all men everywhere to repent…” Acts 17:30

THE ARRIVAL OF THE MESSIAH, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THE GOSPEL
– In the Old Testament, the promise of a Messiah/Savior/Deliverer, was made known to the people of Israel; however, they were unaware that His eternal plan of Salvation was designed for all people. Beginning with the teachings of Jesus Christ and then carried on through the Apostles, God had broadened the revelation of Heaven, Eternity, the return of Christ, the Resurrection of the Dead, and coming Judgment. Since that time, through the commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, this Gospel and all the associated knowledge is being broadcast by His Church to every people, tribe, nation, and tongue in preparation for His return, the fulfillment of all prophesy, and the final Day of Judgment.

What then, does Eternal Judgment mean? 
-  For one, when we make decisions in life, we should determine how the outcomes of our decisions will effect out eternal destiny.
– It is when God determines through the CHOICE AND BEHAVIOR of every individual WHERE AND  HOW they will spend ETERNITY. Revelation 20-22 

 -  Eternal Judgement is/are the FINAL DECISIONS (s) that are SEALED FOR ETERNITY.  

 GOD'S JUDGMENTS IN LIFE AND JUDGMENT DAY 
- The judgments that God executes in life are not necessarily the same judgments that will be metered out on JUDGMENT DAY. In Matthew 11:21-24, Jesus is pointing out the difference as He upbraided/reproached the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, for rejecting Him and the Gospel, comparing them to Tyre and Sidon's downfall, and Sodom and Gomorrah, which God had destroyed. Here He is stating that what happened to those cities was not their final judgment, and they are yet to be judged on that Day. The judgments they endured was to put an end to corrupt behavior, but on the Day of Judgment, hearts and motives will be brought to judgment. Notice what Jesus said about that, "...for if the mighty works, which have been done in you (Capernaum), had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." vs.23  So what happens to a person/people/nation, in this life, does not actually reflect their heart or motives, but on that Day, God will reveal everyone's, and we may be shocked. These three cities were not immediately destroyed at that time, but according to Jesus, their sin in His day was more severe that that of Tyre and Sidon, and Sodom and Gomorrah. The lesson we can learn from this is that, though life seems good for us now, does not mean that we will be justified when we face Him for our Eternal Judgment, especially if we reject or despise the Sacrifice of the Son of God's payment for our sins. And those we have despised for their sinful behavior may fare better than we on that Day. Oh God, have mercy on our souls!

According to the Bible, What are some of the things we will be judged on?  (the following list are lifestyles and not merely random incidents)

-Unrepentant sin – Mark 9:43-48

-Not investing in the call/duties God has given us – Matthew 25:14-30

-Withholding love and care to those in need – Matthew 25:31-46

-Causing His children to stumble into sin – Mark 9:42

-Preaching a false gospel – Galatians 1:8-9

-REJECTING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR!!!

 How do we prepare for Eternal Judgment?

Get your life right with God! – It is our sins that separate us from God Isaiah 59:2.  You cannot wash away your sins, only God can, and has, through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ Who paid for your sins on the Cross of Calvary, shedding His blood for you. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Repent/turn away from your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Romans 10:9

Make your life’s decisions based on the faith of Christ according to the Word of God, the Bible, and follow Him with all your heart in all that you do. Keep ETERNITY in your mind, especially in your behavior, motives, values, and choices. Your Eternal Destiny depends on it.

 THE ANSWER TO THE BIG QUESTION,  "WHO IS GOING TO HELL?" 
-First of all before answering this question we must be clear about something - the heart and motives of God our Heavenly Father. He is not willing that any perish, but that all come to repentance and to the knowledge of the truth 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9. For this reason Jesus came in the first place, suffered and died for us, and is why we preach His Gospel to this day - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
 PEOPLE DO NOT GO TO HELL FOR THEIR GENUINE IGNORANCE (Genesis 18:25, John 9:41, 15:22-24, Acts 17:30) 

- THEY GO TO HELL WHEN THEY WILL NOT REPENT OF THEIR SINS - Mark 9:43-48, Revelation 21:8 (He has put the knowledge of His laws in their heart, Romans 1:18-32, 2)

- AND IF THEY DELIBERATELY IGNORE OR REFUSE THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST Mark 16:15-16, John 3:18-20. This is a deliberate and conscious rejection of God and His gift of salvation and eternal life which Jesus paid for us with His own blood.
NOTE!!!  GOD alone is the Judge and final authority on all topics, especially this one. He has given us the Bible and sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to confirm His word. Please receive the whole counsel of God in all these matters.
 

CONCLUSION –
We must all stand before God Almighty to give an account for the life He has given us. Our verdict will be based on our choices and actions that conform with or are contrary to His Commands, will, and provision for our salvation, "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel." Romans 2:16 

Are you prepared to be judged, and by who’s standards? Your choices and actions will determine the outcome.