The Final Judgment (Part 1)

The Final Judgement or The World Judged Righteously by Jesus Christ

Jonathan Edwards

Because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained. (Acts 17:31)

INTRODUCTION

God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ.

THESE WORDS ARE A PART OF A SERMON PREACHED BY PAUL ON Mars Hill, the famous place of discussion of the judges and learned men of Athens. Athens was the principle city of that part of Greece, which was at that time a commonwealth of its own.. It was one of the most noted places in the whole world for learning, philosophy, and human wisdom. It continued so for many years until the Romans conquered Greece, when its reputation began to diminish. Rome borrowed the learning of Greece and began to rival it in science and the arts. However, at the time of Christ and the apostles, it was still a place where the most wise and learned men in the world gathered for debate.

When Paul arrived at Mars Hill and began to preach to them about Jesus Christ, a man who had recently been crucified in Jerusalem (Acts 17:18), the philosophers thronged to hear what he had to say. The newness of his doctrine excited their curiosity, because they loved discovering and debating new ideas between themselves and others, as the Bible mentions (Acts 17:21). However, they despised Paul’s doctrine, believing it was ridiculous. They called Paul a babbler, for the preaching of Christ crucified was foolishness to the Greeks, 1 Corinthians 1:23, yet the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, two different sects, were interested to hear what this “babbler” had to say.

Realizing this, Paul stands up in the middle of them and begins to preach. As he begins to preach to the philosophers and men of learning, he speaks quite differently from his usual way of teaching. We see here in Paul’s sermon a seemingly greater depth of thought and philosophical reasoning. He uses a style that we do not see him use in his sermons to common men and women. He uses language that draws the attention and gains the ear of the philosophers. He shows himself to be no babbler, but a man who could offer them sound reasoning. However, even though they considered themselves wise, they could not grasp Paul’s message.

Paul’s work here is an example of his own testimony in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “that he became all things to all men, that he might by all means save some.” He not only becomes weak to the weak, but he also becomes wise to the wise that he might be able to win them to Christ. How does Paul accomplish this on Mars Hill?

First, he reasons with them concerning their worship of idols. He declares to them the true God, and points out hw unreasonable it is to suppose that God delights in superstitious worship. He begins with worship because they were most likely to be interested in this discussion. This is a part of the natural light of human reason, and also in agreement with what some of their own poets and philosophers had said (Acts 17:28). He does not start out telling them about Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection for sinners. He first draws their attention to a natural debate that will surely engage them. Then having gained their ear, he begins to preach Christ.

He explains to them that their current ignorance of the true God, God has winked at. He had allowed the world to lie in darkness. However, now the apointed time has come when He expected men everywhere to repent. “He had appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained.” Paul puts teeth in his argument by pointing out that they must turn to God from their ignorance, supersition and idolatry because God has appointed a day of judgement. As proof of this he discusses the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

God will judge the world. Concerning the words of the text, we may observe that when Paul speaks of this general judgment, he shows us that when God judges He will judge the world. When He judges the world on His day, He will judge in righteousness. Finally, the judgement will be by Christ Jesus whom God raised from the dead.

DOCTRINE: The day coming in which there will be a general religious judgement of the whole world by Jesus Christ.

In this message I will show that God is the supreme Judge of the world, that the time is coming when God will, in a solemn way, and for all to see, judge the entire world, and that He will judge the world by Jesus Christ. What will happen on that day will truly be terrifying, and everything will be done in righteousness. Finally, I will discuss the events that will take place immediately following this judgement.

SECTION 1
God is the supreme judge of the world.

1. God is who He is by divine right. He is by right the supreme and absolute Ruler of all things, both in the visible and invisible world. The part of creation that we can see and understand is indeed subject to a different set of rules than the part of creation known fully by God alone. God controls the sun, moon, and stars. He controls even the mites of dust that fly in the air. Not a hair of our head falls to the ground without our heavenly Father’s consent. God also controls all other things and the animals. God orders the events of all His creation. He orders them by His decrees and providence. This rule of His government is done by His wise decree, and nothing else.
   Human beings, because we are intelligent and make choices, are the subjects of another type of rule. This rule has to do with things that happen with regard to our choices and us. This rule is called moral government, and consists in two things: the giving of laws and judgement.
   God is, with respect to moral government, by right the sovereign Ruler of the world. He has this right because of His infinite greatness and excellence. By His own merits, He is perfectly and solely fit for the office of supreme Ruler. He is infinitely worthy of our highest respect, and has a right to that respect. He deserves it. It is in fact injustice to deny it to Him. He that is perfect wisdom and truth has a right to have His will submitted to and obeyed.
   God also has a right to be the supreme Ruler, by the fact that every creature is totally dependent upon Him. His entire creation, especially we, are entirely from Him and every second dependent upon Him. We are properly His possessions. Because of this, He has a right to give His creatures whatever rules of conduct He pleases, and whatever rules are by His wisdom the best of us. So it only makes sense that our minds and will ought to be entirely conformed to the nature and will of our Creator, and to the rules He gives us to live by.
   For this same reason, He has a right to judge our actions and our conduct, and to fulfill the penalties of His law. He who has the absolute right to give laws, has an equal right to judge those who disobey them. If there are laws, it is absolutely necessary that there is a judge of accountable creatures to give both rewards and punishments for the keeping and breaking of them. Penalties for the breaking of laws are useless without a judge to execute judgment and enforce them. As God has a right to be the Judge, He also has a right to be the supreme Judge. And no one has a right to reverse His judgments, make an appeal or question His decisions.
2. God is the supreme Judge of the world. He has a right that cannot be disputed. He has power that cannot be controlled. He is omnipotent and has dominion over the entire universe. His dominion includes the moral (intelligent) as well as the natural world. Men may refuse to be in subjection to this lawgiving God. They may outwardly rebel against every known law. However, they cannot escape His judgement. They may choose not to have God as their lawgiver, but they have no choice, He will be their Judge. The strongest of creatures can do nothing to control God, or to avoid His judgements. He will bring them to His judgement seat, and will execute the very sentence He pronounces.
   There was actually one time when a legitimate attempt was made to rebel against the moral government of God, both as Lawgiver and as Judge. This attempt was made by the angels, the mightiest of all created beings. However, they failed miserably. Much to their dismay God acted as their Judge and cast those proud spirits out of heaven. In judgment against them, He bound them in chains of darkness for further execution. “God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered” (Job 9:4)? When God’s enemies are lifted up in pride, He is ever above them. He will always act as Judge giving them exactly as they deserve. And He continues to do so. He continues daily fulfilling His promises and threats of His law. He is continually eternally judging the souls of men and will forever.
   God’s judgement toward men is especially unique; first, in man’s particular judgment at death.
   At death the sentence is executed, and judgment is received only partially. The soul, when it departs from the body, appears before God to be judged by Him according to His law. However, we only need to understand one thing about this: that the soul is immediately aware of the presence of God.
   The soul understands the glory and majesty of the Judge. The sins of the wicked and the righteousness of the saints are brought by God to the view of their consciences. They will know the reason of the sentence given, and they will know God has judged them righteously. Their reward or punishment will be immediately executed. This will happen at the moment of each man or woman’s death.
   Second, there will be another great and general judgment, when all men shall together appear before the judgement-seat to be judged. This judgement will be more severe; and the execution of judgment will be completely fulfilled

SECTION 2
There is a time coming when God will judge the entire world in the most public and serious way.

The doctrine of the general judgment cannot be discovered by the light of mere nature. Even heathens have had obscure notions concerning a future judgment. But the light of nature alone is not sufficient to instruct the world of fallen men in this doctrine. It is one of the unique doctrines of God’s revelation, a doctrine of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There were hints of it in the Old Testament, such as in Psalms 96:13: “The LORD cometh to judge the world with righteousness, and his people with his truth.” Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, “For God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
But this doctrine is most clearly revealed in the New Testament, where it is frequently described in detail. Although the doctrine of the general judgment is brought to light gloriously in the New Testament, it is also entirely reasonable. It is reasonable that there will be a time before the end of the world when everyone will stand before God and give an account of their conduct, and that God will in a public way, by a general and just judgment, set all things to right.
I will attempt to make this clear.
However, I will not attempt to prove that all men will be judged by God, for that is something that the light of nature clearly teaches, and we have already discussed it. The question is if it is rational to think that the judgment will be public and will include all men together. I think it is for the following reasons:

1. Such a judgment will be glorious display of God’s majesty and dominion. It will be more glorious because it will be more open, public, and serioius. Although God now actually exercises sovereign control over all the earth, although He reigns and does all things according to His own will, ordering all events as He sees fit, and although He is actually Judge of the earth right now, He is ruling in a hidden and secret way. It is commonplace now that men refuse to acknowledge His dominion. Wicked men question the very existence of God. They ignore the very God that takes care of the world, rules its affairs.
   They proudly have no fear of this God. Many earthly rulers and great men do not acknowledge the God who is above them. They consider themselves to be supreme rulers, and are accountable to no one. There are even atheists among us who deny God’s very existence, throwing off the yoke of His laws and rule. It seems as if most of the world denies that the world belongs to the God of the Bible. They pay homage to their own imaginations as if they were their own sovereign lords and supreme judges. Satan has deluded them and set himself up as king in opposition to the true God!
   Considering this, it is not reasonable that God, in bringing the world to Himself, should do it in the most open and public manner possible? Does it not make sense that He will manifest His dominion over all the men by bringing them all, high and low, rich and poor, kings and subjects, together before Him to be judged?
   God will show Himself directly where His authority has been questioned, denied, and proudly opposed! He is visibly present on the earth now. He is not judging visibly now like earthly rulers do. Yet at the end of the world He will make His dominion visible to all! Every eye will see Him then, and those who have denied Him will know that he is the supreme Lord of the entire world?
2. The final judgment will be complete and unquestioned when done in the open and public way. This final judgment will be done to display and glorify the righteousness of God. This is more fully accomplished by calling all men to an account, bringing their actions to the trial, and judging thei ractions with the whole world, both angels and men, being present than if it were done in private.
   On that day, God’s judgment will be the most glorious display of the justice of God in all history. God will appear to be entirely righteous towards everyone. The justice of His rule in that day will be entirely laid out. All objections will be removed. The conscience of every man will be satisifed. The blasphemies of the ungodly will be forever put to silence, and the saints and angels will together begin to praise God forever. Revelation 19:1-2 states, “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honor, and power be to the Lord our God: for true and righteous are his judgments.”
3. It is only reasonable that on that day, all of the injustices so obvious in the world will be publicly rectified by God. An infinitely wise God has made the world for men to live in, and appointed where and how man should live and work. He cares how things are done. It would be a reproach to His wisdom and character to believe He is indifferent. This world is a world for confusion. It has been filled with injustice and confusion ever since the fall. The injustices are not only private, relating to the actions of individuals only. States, kingdoms, nations, churches, cities, and all societies of men through the ages have been full of public injustices. We must ask:
   – Though justice sometimes takes place, oh, how often have injustice, cruelty, and oppression prevailed on the earth?
   – How often have the righteous been condemned?
   – How often have the wicked prospered and been rewarded?
   – How often has the virtuous man been oppressed while the wicked is lifted up?
   – How many thousands of men have suffered intolerable cruelties merely for their value and piety?
   The world is fuled by the pride, covetousness, and passions of men. Solomon makes note of the injustices of the present state (in his book of Ecclesiastes), showing the vanity of the world.
   Oh, is it not reasonable that God, when He comes to put an end to the present state of mankind, will do it in an open, public way? Yes, the whole world will be present to see Him right all these injustices! He will bring all things to trial by a general judgment so that those who have been oppressed will be delivered. On that day the righteous cases will be pleaded and vindicated, and the wickedness that has been approved, honored, and rewarded will receive its due disgrace and punishment!
   All of the proceedings of kings and earthly judges will be judged by the One whose eyes are as flames of fire. The public actions of men will be publicly examined and righteously rewarded or punished. Oh, how wise and righteous is the God who will bring about a final judgment like this.
4. By judging in a public way, God fully accomplishes the reward He designs for the godly, and punishment He designs for the wicked. Part of the reward that God intends for His saints is the honor that He intends to bestow upon them. He will honor them in an open and public way, in front of the angels, all mankind, and those who hated them. It is only right that it should be this way. It is right that those holy and humble souls that have been hated by wicked men who treated them cruelly should be openly acquitted, commended, and crowned before the entire world.
   Consequently, one part of the punishment of the ungodly will be the open shame and disgrace that they will suffer. Although they have proudly lifted up their heads in this world, an dhave put themselves to obtain outward honor among men; yet on that day God will put them to open shame. He will show all their wickedness and moral filthiness before the entire assembly of angels and men. He will show His hatred of them by placing them upon His left hand, among devils and foul spirits, and by turning them away into the most loathsome and dreadful pit of hell, to dwell there forever.