“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
- Matthew 25:31-32
Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
- John 5:22
He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
- Acts 10:42
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
- Revelation 20:11
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10
You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
- Romans 14:10
Revelation 20:11-15 ” Unable to find testimony that agreed on any charges, the Sanhedrin finally used Jesus’ own confession to find him guilty of blasphemy.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Mary Kassian, General Epistles and Revelation contributor)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
- Apostle’s Creed
The Message
The synoptic gospels all speak of Jesus being baptized and then wandering in the wilderness for 40 days, being tempted by Satan. The story is briefly mentioned in Mark 1, but the detailed story is in Matthew 4 and Luke 4.
Why bring this up?
The Scripture above from John 5 gives the answer. Christ had to endure temptation to know what our lives were like. He was going to be made judge over every person who ever lived. Having not just experiencing life on this earth in a human body, He experienced what trips us up, temptation. He even gives the solution. We look Heavenward, we know what God’s Word says. With each temptation, Jesus gave a biblical response to Satan.
But the Scriptures above look at three judgments. The first is before the end of The End Times. Jesus will come on earth to judge each nation, but this may be the nations that God has not already judged. Why judge nations like Moab and Edom? They have already been judged and destroyed. Also, we see city-states like Tyre that have been destroyed never to be rebuilt. While Babylon has been destroyed, there is much discussion of the spiritual Babylon in Revelation. This is the financial marketing structure of the world that feeds the rich and subjects the poor. This is not a city, a city-state, or a nation, but the system of this earth with greed at its core.
Then at the end of the End Times, there are two judgments. The Great White Throne comes down to a simple checklist of sorts. Is your name in the Book of Life? If it is, you go to the next line. If not, you are cast into the Lake of Fire.
This judgment is followed by Jesus on the Bema Seat. He will judge those who love Him and keep His commandments. At the judgment seat, there is no discussion of salvation. Being in the Book of Life resolves that issue. At the Bema Seat of Christ we get our reward for the selfless good acts we have done. The philosophical argument about whether there is such a thing as a truly selfless act will be put to rest.
And God the Father gave the authority to judge to the Son. His name is written on all these times of judgment.
And now let us sing.
The following song is The Judgment Song. This is sung by the Hookers.
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord,
We believe in You. We trust You. You suffered and died. But You lived a sinless life. You resisted temptation. Only You should stand in judgment. Have Mercy on those who love You and trust You with their lives.
In Thy name we pray,
Amen
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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