Ready or Not Judgment is Coming
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: - Remember the game we used to play as kids called Hide-n-Go-Seek. The person that was it would count to 100 and at the end would say Ready or Not Here I Come. It didn’t matter if you found a hiding place or not once 100 was reached the one that was it would then run and try to catch someone before they made it home safe.
Well today I want to teach on this subject taken from that phrase Ready or Not Judgment is Coming.
DEFINITION: - Judgment is a court decision, that adjudicates (to make a formal decision) on a dispute between two parties by determining the rights and obligations of each party.
WATCH THIS: - God’s judgments are decisions based in the truth as it is in heaven. The will of God being done means that everything that is not His will must change. The Lord’s prayer is a cry for divine intervention to change things. The engagement of heaven against sin is a judgment against sin. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
The purpose of God's judgment will be to show the true character of each person, to publicly reward or punish each one for their sins, and ultimately to vindicate the righteous character of God.
PRAYER: -
SCRIPTURES: - Acts 17:30, Matthew 25:23, Matthew 25:1-10, Hebrews 9:27, Romans 14:11-12, Revelations 2:10
The Bible clearly teaches that God has a day prepared when He will judge all mankind. Acts 17:30 says, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead”. God has appointed a day that he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ.
For many people this will be the saddest day ever because they did not prepare themselves for this day. They did not repent, were not baptized, and did not accept Jesus as their personal savior. They will be like to 5 foolish virgins of Matthew 25:1-10 that failed to prepare their lamps before the bridegroom came and missed out on the wedding feast.
To the rest of the people those that have prepared themselves it will be a wonderful and glorious experience. Matthew 25:23 says, “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord”.
My desire is to hear Him say well done and I pray that is your desire as well.
Sadly, many people believe or rather choose NOT to believe that judgment is coming. They basically say “If I convince myself that once death happens that it is all over, it is the end; if I don’t believe in God then, I can live any way I want, do what I want because when I’m dead its done. However, the Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”. Judgment is coming. Romans 14:11-12 says, “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So, then every one of us shall give account of himself to God”. It is a Spiritual fact; it is a natural fact that after death there is going to be judgment. There is a saying that says the only things for certain are death and taxes, well let me say judgment also. I guess you can say pay your taxes, you die, then you are judged. Judgment is coming rather you are ready or not.
Let me inject this right here because many people want to assume or have a theory that the things that are going on in the world right now is the judgment of God. You will even have some preachers say these things are the judgments of God like Corona Virus, RSV, Monkey Pox, Volcanoes irrupting that have been dormant for years, Hurricanes late in the year, Rivers and Lakes drying up are not God’s judgment, but they are a precursors or warnings to people to get ready for judgment is coming. Matthew 24:6 says, “ …for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet”. I do believe that God is warning us that time is coming to a close and He is warning people to get ready, repent, be baptized, and accept Jesus as your Lord and savior for judgment is coming. That’s why we are seeing an increase in things going on, that is why the most abundant resource oh earth – water – is drying up because God is trying to get people’s attention. He is letting us know Judgment is coming.
Understand when God judges’ mankind, the standard for His judgment will be the Word of God. It will not be man’s opinion or ideas, it will not be some law that was established by the Supreme Court, but it will be by the Unadulterated Word of God, wrong is wrong and right is right according to the Word of God. Jesus said, John 12:48 “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day”.
Each one of us will have to stand before God and give account of what we have done and the lives we have lived and the words we speak. Matthew 12:36-37 says, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned”.
There is no escape from the judgment of God 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”. So, no one can say well I wasn’t that bad, or I was so good I don’t have to worry all of us, everyone, loddie doddie and everybody must appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
Depending on your study and how you really want to break things down some will teach there are 12 judgments of God, and some say 8 judgments now I could really run down a rabbit hole with this the 12 and the 8 but I just want to talk about 2 today because it is in one of these two judgments we will find ourselves in but the choice is up to you.
The 1st is what is called The Bema Seat Judgment or the Judgment Seat of God, this is the judgment that concerns only those who have been born again, that have been born of the water and of the Spirit. John 3:3 & 5-7 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God verses 5-7 says Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”.
When one is truly Born-Again and lived their life according to the Word of God they can never experience ‘thanos’ which is the 2nd death, the eternal death of everlasting separation from God. Therefore, the only thing that needs to be judged is the born-again believer’s works.
Understand this Bema Seat Judgment has nothing to do with salvation because salvation was dealt with by Christ on the cross for His part, and our part when we repented, were baptized and accepted Jesus Christ into our lives. 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 says, “If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire”.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says. “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames”. These are the works which we do according to what each person believes God wants them to do rather that is feed the hungry, run a clothing drive, go do foreign missions etc. Every person who has ever been truly Born-Again will receive rewards or losses according to the works they performed. Like the song says only what you do for Christ will last. If what they did was done with the wrong attitude, selfish ambitions or desires, their works will be burned up, but their souls will be saved. Remember only what you do for Him will be counted in the end.
There is no getting out of this one for any true believer of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat (bema in Greek) of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad”.
Let me explain the timing of this judgment there are several opinions, mainly 5 of when this Bema seat judgment will take place and truthfully only God knows the timing for certain. I am of the belief that this judgment will take place after the Rapture of the people of God during the Tribulation period in the 3rd Heaven where Jesus is.
Remember I stated this judgment is strictly for the saints of God the truly Born-Again believers, it has nothing to do with salvation but is trying the works of every Born-Again believer. This is where you will receive the 5 crowns mentioned in the Bible.
1. The Incorruptible crown 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
2. The Crown of Rejoicing 1 Thessalonians 2:19
3. The Crown of Righteousness 2 Timothy 4:8
4. The Crown of Glory 1 Peter 5:4
5. The Crown of Life Revelations 2:10
As I said earlier, I am dealing with just 2 judgments they are inevitable it will come to pass. However, you can choose which one you want to be in I choose this one the Bema Seat Judgment. Like the song says “I shall wear a crown when it’s all over”.
Revelation 20:2-3 says, “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season”. Satan will be locked up in a pit for 1,000 years this is the Millennial reign of Christ. The individuals who live in the millennium will have no satanic influence on their lives, yet they too will rebel afterward and imagine they can overthrow the Lord God. They will again “surround” Jerusalem to take the city, but God sends fire down from heaven Revelation 20:9 and for all time destroys all the armies of evil. All who rebelled during those 1,000 years of actual peace and prosperity on earth, plus all who ever died since Adam, who did not accept Jesus Christ and salvation will be judged individually and cast into the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 20:11–15 says, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; 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”.
This is the final judgment of all unbelievers those who failed to repent and be baptized, those that reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be judged for their sins at this judgment. This judgment occurs at the end of the Millennium, the 1000 years of peace and reign of Christ on earth before the creation of the new heaven and earth. At this judgment, unbelievers from all the ages are judged for their sins and will be cast into the lake of fire that burneth with fire and brimstone. Everyone appearing here will get an absolute fair trial because every thought, every word, and every deed have been carefully recorded by God’s angels.
Many here will claim to be Christians but God will show them from the books of record that they were either, never truly born-again, or they allowed deception to turn them away and they threw their salvation away. All their religiosity was of no effect, their religious garb was futile, their many appearances in church meant nothing, their philanthropy was useless they had a form of godliness but denied the power thereof.
It is in this judgment the sea, the grave and even hell itself will give up the dead in them to stand, in their resurrected bodies, before the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ Revelations 23:13. This judgment has everything to do with salvation or the loss of salvation I should say. No amount of pleading will help because the evidence against them is confirmed they rejected their only hope Jesus Christ. They never accepted the only price the Father would accept as payment for the sin, and that is the blood and death of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
This is what’s called the Great White Throne Judgment, and the 2nd resurrection unto death.
The choice of which judgment you will be in is up to you.
CLOSING: - Jesus said in Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 says, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape”.
I firmly believe that the reason God did not tell us when He was coming in judgment is because He knows our nature and the things we would do. If we knew exactly when He was coming, then we would more than likely waste our time down to the very last-minute living anyway we wanted doing every diabolic thing we thought we were big enough to do and then try to get ready.
Judgment could happen at any time the question is are you ready for it?
Ready or Not Judgment is Coming. If you have been truly Born-Again accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have lived right and worked out your own soul salvation then you are prepared for the Bema Seat Judgment and will hear Well done, good and faithful servant - Matthew 25:23 says, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord”.
However, if you have repented of your sins, been baptized in Jesus’ name, accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior lived totally against the word of God or had just a form of godliness then the Great White Throne Judgment is reserved for you and will hear “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” Matthew 25:41.
My prayer is please God help all of us to prepare for The Bema Seat Judgment Day.
Ready or Not Judgment is Coming.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
