The Final Judgment or The World Judged Righteously by Jesus Christ
Jonathan Edwards
SECTION 3 (Continued)
God has chosen Jesus Christ to judge the world. Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the same person of whom we read in our Bibles, who was born of the Virgin Mary, who lived in Galilee and Judea, and who was finally crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem. He will come again to judge the world with both His divine and human natures. He will come again in the same human body that was crucified, rose again, and was physically into heaven. Acts 1:11 tells us that, “This same Jesus that is taken up from you into heaven, shall come in like manner, as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
It will be His human nature and body that will be seen by the eyes of men. However, His divine nature, which is united, will also be present. It will be by the wisdom of that divine nature that Christ will see and judge.
The question that naturally arises is this: why is Christ appointed to judge the world rather than the Father or the Holy Ghost? We cannot pretend to know all the reasons that God does what he does. He is not obligated to tell us why. Yet through divine revelation, we are able to discover the answers. We learn:
- That God sees fit that He, who has a human nature, should be the Judge of those who are of the same human nature. John 5:27 says, “And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”
Seeing there is one of the persons of the Trinity that has human nature, God has chosen, that all of His transactions with mankind will be by Him. He did the same things in revealing Himself to the patriarchs, in giving the law, in leading the children of Israel through the wilderness, and in the manifestations He made of Himself in the tabernacle and temple.
Although Christ was not actually incarnate then, He was so in design, it was foreordained and agreed in the covenant of redemption that Christ should become incarnate. From the actual time of the incarnation of Christ, God has ruled both the world and the Church through Him He will also at the end judge the world by Him. All men will be judged by God, and yet at the same time by One who has the same human nature.
God also has seen it fit that those who have bodies, at their judgment, will see their Judge with their bodily eyes, and hear Him with their bodily ears. If one of the other persons of the Trinity had been appointed to be Judge, there would have needed to be some extraordinary outward appearance as a token of the divine presence, as was seen in Old Testament But now there is no need of that. Now one of the persons of the Trinity is actually incarnate, so that God by Him may appear to bodily eyes without any miraculous vision. - Christ has the honor of being the Judge of the world as a suitable reward for His sufferings. This is a part of Christ’s exaltation. This was stipulated in the covenant of redemption. We are expressly told that it was given to Him in reward for His sufferings, Philemon 2:8-12, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
God has designed it so that the One who appeared in such a low estate, without prestige or beauty, and having His divine glory veiled, will appear among us a second time, in His proper majesty and glory, without a veil.
The same ones who saw Him here at the first, as a poor, frail man, not having a place to lay His head, subject to much pain and affliction, will see Him the second time in power and great glory. Yes, with the glory and dignity of the absolute Lord of heaven and earth. He that once lived with men and was despised and rejected of them, will then have the honor of calling all men before His throne, and judging them with respect to their eternal state (John 5:21-24)!
God has seen fit that He, who was once arraigned before the judgement-seat of men, vilely treated, mocked, spat upon, condemned, and crucified, will at the final day be vindicated. He will be rewarded by having those very same people brought to His tribunal, so they may see Him in His full glory. He will dispose of them for all eternity. As Christ said to the high priest while He stood before Him, Matthew 26:64: “Hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” - Jesus Christ must judge the world, in order that He may complete the work of redemption. It is the will of God, that He who is the Redeemer of the world should be a complete Redeemer, having the entire work of redemption in His hands. Christ’s redemption of fallen man includes not only His obeying the divine law, making atonement for sinners, or in preparing the way for their salvation. His redemption is also actually fulfilled in the converting of sinners to the knowledge and love of the truth, in carrying them on the way of grace and true holiness through life, and finally in raising their bodies to life, and gloriifying them. This is completed by actually pronouncing of the sentence upon them, and crowning them with honor and glory in the sight of men and angels.
It is necessary that Christ should do this in order to finish the work He has begun. Raising the saints from the dead, judging them, and fulfilling the sentence are parts of their salvation. Christ must be appointed Judge of the world, in order that He might finish His work (John 6:39-40, John 5:25-31). The redemption of the bodies of the saints is part of the work of redemption; the resurrection to life is called a redemption of their bodies (Romans 8:23).
It is the will of God that Christ Himself should fulfill that for which He died, and suffered so much. The very reason He suffered and died were to complete and secure the salvation of His people. This final salvation will be obtained at the last judgment, and not before.
When Christ had finished His appointed sufferings, God put the purchased inheritance into His hands to be kept for believers and given to them at the Day of Judgment. - It is also proper that He who is King of the Church should rule till He should have put all His enemies under His feet. Therefore Christ must judge of His enemies, as well as of His people. One of the offices of Christ, as Redeemer, is that of King. He is appointed King of the Church and Head over all things related to the Church. In order that His kingdom be complete, and His design for her accomplished. He must conquer all His enemies. Only then will He deliver up the kingdom to the Father. 1 Corinthians 15:24-25 declares, “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom of God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”
Now, when Christ will bring His enemies (the ones who have denied, opposed, and rebelled against Him) to His judgment seat, He will execute sentence upon them. This is the victory that will put an end to the war. It is proper that He, who presently reigns and is waging war against thse who are opposing His kingdom, should have the honor of obtaining the victory, and finishing the war. - It is for the comfort of His saints that Christ is appointed to be the Judge. The covenant of grace and all its fullness are designed by God to give strong comfort to believers. God has designed the gospel as a glorious manifestation of His grace to His saints. Everything in the gospel is ordered by God to extend the maximum grace and mercy to His people.
How comforting it is for saints to know that their own Redeemer is appointed to be their Judge. That same One that spilled His own blood for them has determined their ultimate fate. There is no doubt that they will obtain what has cost Him so much to purchase.
Oh, what joy it will be for them on that last day to lift up their eyes and behold the very Person in whom they have trusted for salvation, fled for refuge, and whose voice they have often heard, inviting them to Himself for protection and safety, coming to judge them. - That Christ is appointed to be the Judge of the world will add to the conviction of the ungodly. It will be to the conviction that they are judged and condemned by that very Person whom they have rejected. It is Christ who shed His blood to give them an opportunity to be saved, who offered His righteousness to them, and who many times called and invited them to come to Him, that they might be saved. How justly they will be condemned by Him whose salvation they have rejected, and whose blood they have despised. They have refused His calls, and have pierced Him with their sins!
How much worse for them will it be when they shall hear the sentence pronounced? They will say to themselves, “How often has this same Christ, who now passes sentence upon me, called me, in His word, and by His messengers, to accept of Him, and to give myself to Him! How often has He knocked at the door of my heart! Had it not been for my own foolishness and rebellion, how might I have had Him for my Savior.”
SECTION 4
Christ’s coming, the resurrection, the preparation of judgment, the books opened, the sentence pronounced and executed.
- Jesus Christ will descend from heaven with all the holy angels. The man Christ Jesus is now in heaven, or, as the Apostle Paul expresses it, far above all heavens (Ephesians 4:10). He has been there ever since His ascension. He is there now, enthroned in glory, in the midst of millions of angels and blessed spirits. However, when the appointed time comes, Christ will descend to the earth, attended with all those heavenly hosts, in a most solemn and glorious manner.
Christ will come with divine majesty; He will come in the glory of the Father. Matthew 16:27 says, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels…”
We can scarcely imagine the scene! Christ will appear in all of His magnificence and power. He will come in the clouds of heaven. How can this be compared to the grand entrance of any human king or dignitary? A glorious visible light will shine about Him, and the earth will tremble at His presence. The vast and innumerable hosts of heaven will appear with Him, as heaven will be deserted for the last time.
We get glimpses of the grandeur of His appearance from Scripture. When He appeared in His transfigurations, His face shined like the sun, and His clothing was as white as the light. The apostle Peter spoke of this appearnce in magnificent terms, saying, “We were eye-witnesses of his majesty; for he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory” (2 Peter 1:16-17).
His appearance to Paul at his conversion, and to St. John, as related in Revelation 1:13 etc. were also grand and magnificent. However, we conclude that His appearance on the Day of Judgment will be vastly more magnificent than either of these, because the occasion will be so much greater. We have good reason to believe the occasion will be so much greater. We have good reason to believe that right now in our present frail state, we could not even bear to see the sight.
Think about the appearances of some of the mere angels to men, as of the angel that appeared at Christ’s tomb after His resurrection, “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” (Matthew 28:3). The angels will undoubtedly be just like this at His second coming. Their appearance will be just as startling again. If this is so, how glorious, then, will be the return of Christ, made up of so many thousands of these angels?
Then think how much more glorious Christ, the Judge, will be compared to His attendants. Will He not be more glorious than His created beings? Jesus Christ will descend into our air space, at such a distance from the earth, that everyone will see Him, as Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him.”
Christ will return suddenly, and to the great surprise of men on the earth. The Bible likens it to a cry at midnight, which awakens everyone by surprise! - At the sound of the last trumpet, the dead shall rise, and the living will be changed. As soon as Christ comes, the last trumpet will sound. It will be a notification for all mankind to appear. At that mighty sound the dead will be immediately raised, and the living changed. 1 Corinthians 15:52 tells us, “For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Matthew 24:31 says, “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpeter.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.”
There will be some great remarkaable signal given for the rising of the dead. It will be a loud sound caused by the angels who will accompany Him.
Next, all the dead will rise from their graves — all men and women, both small and great, who shall have lived upon earth since the foundation of the world, those who died before the flood, and those who were drowned in the flood, all that have died since that time, and that will die between now and then. There will be a great moving upon the face of the earth and in the water, in bringing bone to life. The graves will open, bringing together all the scattered particles of dust and dead bodies. The earth will give up the dead that are in it; and the sea shall give up the dead that are in it.
It matters not how one has died. It matters not that many people’s body parts are scattered, or perhaps have burned up. Some may have been devoured by wild beasts, birds, or even fish in the sea …. it does not matter. God will gather them together again and raise every mann from the dead. Of this vast multitude some shall rise to everlastin life, and others to condemnation. John 5:28-29 declares, “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
When the bodies are resurrected, the departed souls will again enter into their bodies, never again to be separated. The souls of the wicked will be brought up out of hell, though not out of misery, and shall very unwillingly enter into their old bodies. Their bodies will be their eternal prisons. Revelation 20:13 says, “And death and hell shall deliver up the dead that were in them.” They will lift their eyes full of the utmost amazement and horror to see their Judge.
The souls of the righteous will descend from heaven together with Christ and His angels. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 says, “Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” They also will be retunited with their bodies, that they may be glorified with them.
They will receive their bodies prepared by God to be mansions of pleasure for all eternity. They will be ready in every way for the glories of heaven, to experience the exercises and delights of a perfectly holy and glorified soul. They will be clothed with a beauty similar to that of Christ’s own glorious body. Philippians 3:21 exclaims, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.”
Their bodies will rise incorruptible, no more liable to pain or disease, and with an extraordinary vigor and life, like that of those spirits that are as a flame of fire. 1 Corinthians 15:43-44 reads, “It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
Oh, what joy will the souls and bodies of the saints meet, and with what joy will they lift their heads out of the graves to behold the glorious sight of the appearance of Christ! It will be a glorious sight to see — the saints coming out of their gravces, putting off their corruption, and putting on incorrupton and glory!
At that instant, those that are still alive on the earth will also be changed. Their bodies will pass through a great change, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: “Behold, I show you a great mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpeter.”
The bodies of the wicked then living will also be changed into hideous things. They will be fit for the loathsome souls that will dwell in them. They will be changed and prepared to receive and administer eternal torments without being totally destroyed. Likewise the bodies of the righteous shall be changed, but into a glorious and immortal form that will never decay or feel pain. - They will all be brought to appear before Jesus Christ, the godly on the right hand, and the wicked on the left (Matthew 25:31-33). The wicked, however unwilling, however full of fear and horror, will be brought before the judgment seat. They may try to hide themselves, or wish to creep into dens or caves of the mountains. They will cry and wish the mountains could fall on them and destroy them. Yet none will be able to hide from the face of Him that will sit on the throne, or from His wrath. Not one will escape! They must come and stand on the left hand with all the devils.
On the contrary, the righteous will be joyfully issued to Jesus Christ, probably by the angels. Their joy will give them wings to carry them away. They will with ecstasies and raptures of delight meet their friend and Savior, come into His presence, and stand at His right hand.
Besides standing on the right hand, when the dead in Christ are raised, they will be caught up into the air, where Christ is. They will be there at His right hand during the judgment, never more to set their feet on this earth. The wicked shall be left standing on the earth, there to abide the judgment. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 states, “The dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
What a vast congregation will be there! Every man, woman, and child that has ever lived on this earth from the begining to the end of the world! Revelation 20:12 reads, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.”
4. Then the books will be opened. Revelation 20:12 says, “I saw the dead, great and small, stand before God; and the books were opened.” The two books are the book of God’s remembrance and the Scriptures, the first book being the evidence of the deeds which are to be judged, and the Scriptures as the rule of judgment.
The works of both of the righteous and of the wicked will be brought forth that they may be judged. The works wil be tried according to the written word.
First, the works of both righteous and wicked will be rehearsed. The book of God’s remembrance will be first opened. The version works of the children of men are, as it were, written by God in a book of remembrance was written before him.”
Ungodly men may make light of their own sins, and tend to forget them. Yet God will never forget any of them. Neither will God forget any of the good works of the saints. If they give but a cup of cold water with a spirit of love, God will remember it.
The evil works of the wicked will then be brought into the light. They will then hear of all the profaneness, their impertinence, their wicked unbelief, their abuse of ordinances, and all other sins. The various degrees of their sins will also be brought to view. For example, how a particular man sinned after receiving God’s mercy or other blessings; yet another, after having been the subject of inward conviction. Concerning these sins, they shall be called to account to see what they have to say for themselves. Matthew 12:36: “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall givec an account thereof in the Day of Judgment.” Romans 14:12: “Say then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
The good works of the saints will also be brought forth as evidences of their sincerity, and of their saying interest in the righteousness of Christ. Their sinful works will not be brought up that day! Yet guilty, they will not carry the weight of their own sins. The guilt of them will not lie on them; they have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The Judge Himself will have taken the guilt of their sins upon Himself! Therefore their sins will not stand against them in the book of God’s remembrance.
The account of them will appear to have been canceled before that time. The account that will be found in God’s book will not be of debt, but of credit. God cancels their debts, and sets down their good works, and is pleased, as it were, to make Himself a debtor for them, by His own gracious act.
Both good and bad will be judged according to their works. Revelation 20:12: “And the dead were judged out of those things that were found written in the books, according to their works.” And in verse 13: “And they were judged every man according to their works.”
Although the righteous are justified by faith, and not by their works, yet they will be judged according to their works. Those works will be brought forth as the evidence of their faith. Their faith on that great day shall be tried by its fruits. If the works of any man shall have been bad, if his life shall appear to have been unchristian, that will condemn him without any further inquiry.
However, if man’s works are examined and proven good and of the right kind, he will be justified. They will be used as evidence of his having believed in Jesus Christ, and of his being clothed with His righteousness.
What are works? Works are all of the willful decisions and practices of the human heart. By this I mean the words men say and the lifestyles they lead, as well as what they actually do. Matthew 12:37, “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” These also include the internal thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Man judges according to the outward appearance, but God judges the heart. Revelation 2:23, “I am he that searcheth the heart and the reins, and I will give unto every one of you according to his works.”
Things undone (omission) will be justified with those things that are done (commission). This can be seen in Matthew 25:42, “For I was a hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink,” etc.
On that day all unknown and secret sins will also be brought into the open. All of the uncleanness, injustice, and violence that men have done in secret will be brought into the open in front of men and angels. Everyone will know each and every man, woman and child’s secret thoughts of immortality, covetousness, envy and all other evil desires. Those who have harbored bitterness and hatred toward God and His ways and law will be exposed; and the way that they have ignored God’s word and His means of grace will haunt them.
The good works of the saints also, which were done in secret, will also be made public, so that the real and secret characters of both saints and sinners will clearly be displayed.
Second, the Scriptures will be opened and men will be tried by them. Their words will be compared with the Word of God. The very book God gave men to rule their lives while they are here will then be the rule of their judgment. God has told us He will do this. We are told in the Scriptures what the terms of justification are and what the terms of condemnation are in His Word.
The rule of judgment will be twofold. The primary rule of judgment will be the law. The law ever has stood, and ever will stand in force for those to whom the law was given. Matthew 5:18, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
The law will so far be made the rule of judgment, so that no one is judged inconsistently. To the wicked, the law will be their judgment and will pronounce their sentence. To the righteous, it will be by the righteousness of the law that they are justified.
It will be asked of everyone, both righteous and wicked, whether or not they have kept the law. To the righteous, they will perfect obedience show. They will plead that the Judge Himself has fulfilled the law for them. He has both satisfied for their sins, and fulfilled the law for them He has both satisifed for their sins, and fulfilled the righteousness of the law for them. Romans 10:4, “Christ is the end of the law for the righteousness to every one that believeth.”
But as to the wicked, when they have broken the law, they will have no one to plead to. Their sentence will be executed.
The other rule of judgment will be the gospel, or the covenant of grace, “He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.” Romans 2:16, “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” By the gospel, of covenant of grace, eternal blessedness will be given to all believers. When the law and the curse of condemnation in the law cannot damn them, the reward of eternal life will be given to them, according to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. - The sentence will be pronounced. Christ will say to teh wicked on the left hand, “Depart, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” How dreadful these words of the Judge will be to the poor, miserable, despairing wretches on His left! Every syllable will pierce them. These words show the greatest wrath and hatred imaginable. Christ will tell them to depart. He will send them away from His presence, and remove them into an everlasting separation.
Jesus will call them cursed. Depart, ye cursed, to whom everlasting wrath and punishment belong. They are, by their own wickedness, prepared for nothing else except burning in hell. Where will they go? Into fire. He will not send them away merely into a rotten prison, like a garbage can of the universe. But they will actually go into a furnace of fire. This will be their everlasting dwelling-place. They will be tormented with racking pain and anguish. It is everlasting fire. Eternity is in the sentence. Infinity aggravates the doom, and will make Christ’s every word more dreadful. “Prepared for the devil and his angels …”
This shows the intensit of the torments. It shows the dreadfulness of that fire to which they will be condemned. It is the same fire prepared for the devils, those foul spirits and great enemies of God. Their condition will be the same as that of the devils, in many respects, particularly as they will burn in the fire forever.
Imagine the terror and fierceness of that day. There will be divine, holy, and almighty wrath heard in the manner and voice of the Judge. Perhaps it will be accompanied with thunder and lightning far more dreadful than were on Mount Sinai at the giving of the law. Along with the terrible voice of God will be the horrible shrieks and cries of the damned. Imagine how pale their faces will be, what the look on their faces will be the moment they are condemned to hell! What dreadful cries, shrieks, and groans! They will wring their hands, and gnash their teeth!
Even as all this is going on, think of the expressions of love in the voice of Christ as He invites His saints on His right hand to glory, saying, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
He will not bid them to go away from Him, but to come with Him, to go where He goes, to dwell where He dwells, to enjoy Him, and to partake with Him. He will call them blessed, blessed of His Father, blessed by Him whose blessing is infinitely the most desirable, namely, God. Inherit the kingdom. They are not only invited to go with Christ and to dwell with Him, but to inherit a kingdom with Him, to sit down with Him on His throne, and to receive the honor and happiness of a heavenly kingdom. Prepared for you from the foundation of the world. This is the sovereign and eternal love of God. It is the source of their blessedness.
He will remind them that He has set His love on them long before they were even born. God made heaven primarily for them, for their delight and happiness. - Immediately after this, the sentence will be executed. In Matthew 25:46 we read, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal.” The second the words of the sentence come out of the mouth of the Judge, the great multitude of the lost will be driven away. They will immediately go to the devils, and there will be shrieks and screams. The thunder and lightning of God’s wrath will follow them into the great furnace of fire. They will enter the fire in both body and soul, glorified bodies with Christ, His angels, and the hosts that descended with Him. They will ascend in the most joyful and triumphant way, entering with Christ into that glorious and blessed world. Christ will already given His Church that perfect beauty, and crowned it with glory, honor, and happiness that were stipulated in the covenant of redemption and for which He died. Having made it a truly glorious Church, every way complete, He will present it before the Father without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Thus shall the saints be instated in everlasting glory, to dwell there with Christ, who shall feed them and lead them to living fountains of water, to the full enjoyment of God, and to an eternity of the most holy, glorious, and joyful employments.
(to be continued)
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