The past couple of weeks we have been embroiled in controversy over accusations of bad or biased judging in the Olympics. It began with the International Skating Union’s suspension of French judge, Marie-Reine Le Gougne. This Olympic pairs figure skating judge admitted she experienced “a certain pressure,” which she described as “tremendous” to vote a certain way before the games began. And though she is now denying it, she initially stated that her federation pressured her to vote for the Russian skaters Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, leaving the Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier with a silver medal. One media account stated: “The controversy renewed complaints over the subjectivity of judging and brought to mind the Cold War era, when many competitors suspected that medals were sometimes awarded on the basis of politics.” If you are going to be judged, you don’t want a judge who is subjective, bends to pressure, responds to bribes or is motivated by politics.
It is interesting that there has been a proliferation of “Judge” shows on television — and they all seem to be alike. It stared with “The People’s Court” and Judge Wapner. Spinoffs with tough judges who belittle people and tell them off like Judge Judy, Judge Mathis, Judge Hatchett, Judge James Curtis, Judge Mills Lane, and on and on the list goes. You can tune into Court TV and watch people being judged any time you want. We are fascinated with someone getting their just dues — as long as it isn’t us. Let’s hope that we never have to stand in front of a TV judge.
But there is a judgement coming in which all of us will take part, for the Bible says, “He has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). We will be on trial for how we have used our lives and whether our relationship with Jesus Christ was real or hypocrisy. We will not be standing before an earthly judge who is subjective, biased, yields to pressure, or is ill-tempered, but the Judge of all the universe who “judges with justice” (Revelation 19:11). Yet, all the more reason to take the final judgment seriously, because this is a sobering truth. The Apostle’s Creed states that we believe Jesus Christ: “will come again to judge the living and the dead.” The Bible says, “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31).
There is so much to say about this important topic, but let me begin by saying, first of all, that: The judgment will be fair. Here is a judge who does not take bribes and is not influenced by anyone. He is not subjective, but judges solely on the truth. But the truth, the real truth, can be terrible, because there is no denying it or getting away from it. At the final judgement it will be totally fair, which means that there will be no excuses or justifications. There will be no influencing the judge or giving bribes on any side. Only the truth will be taken into consideration. The final judgment will not be a media circus event like the O. J. Simpson trial. Justice will not be mocked, mangled or maligned — it will be carried out in absolute impartial fairness and equity. The Bible says, “God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34-35). It also says that, “God does not judge by external appearance” (Galatians 2:6). His judgment is absolutely fair.
In one of Michelangelo’s powerful paintings, which are so rich with emotion, there is a man at the last Judgment who is being dragged down to hell by demons. He has a hand over one eye and in the other eye there is a look of alarmed awareness of personal failure and exposure. Looking at the painting, you see that he understood, but too late. In fact, he knew the truth all along, but ignored it, denied it, postponed it. William Sloane Coffin says, “Hell is truth seen too late.” I believe that at the judgment there will be the kind of alarming comprehension which will fully recognize the truth and the fairness of God’s judgment. We will agree with the truth and fairness of God’s evaluation of our lives.
The judgment, for many, will bring one great regret: they ignored and refused the grace of God and lived their lives for themselves. Karl Barth, the great Danish theologian says, “Whether the achievement of a man’s life is great or small, significant or insignificant, he will one day stand before his eternal judge, and everything that he has done and performed will be no more than a mole hill, and then he will have nothing better to do than hope for something he has not earned: not for a crown, but quite simply for gracious judgment which he has not deserved. That is the only thing that will count then, achievement or not.”
So it would be more accurate to say that the judgment is MORE than fair. For if we belong to Christ, we will not receive what we deserve, but something far better — a gift of grace. The Bible says, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:8-12).
Steve Winger from Lubbock, Texas, writes about a final exam he took in a logic class at the university he attended. The professor was well-known for his difficult finals. Winger writes, “To help us on our test, the professor told us we could bring as much information to the exam as we could fit on a piece of notebook paper. Most students crammed as many facts as possible on their 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet of paper. But one student walked into class, put a piece of notebook paper on the floor, and had an advanced logic student stand on the paper. The advanced logic student told him everything he needed to know. He was the only student to receive an ‘A.’” Our final exam at the last judgment will be more than fair, because we are allowed to bring with us Someone who will answer the questions on our behalf. We could never pass the exam on our own, but we have someone who will stand in for us.
The second point is this: The judgment will be full. It will be a full judgment. All will be judged — the living and dead, great and small, rich and poor, good and bad, church member and pagan, genius and mentally challenged. No one will avoid the judgment, and God will fully take all things into account. Nothing will be passed over. Jesus said, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” (Luke 8:17). For those without Christ, nothing will be hidden of all the things they have done wrong. It will be there for all to see. But on the other hand, for those who have received Christ into their lives and experienced his forgiveness, nothing good they have done will be hidden, it will be shown to all. It will be a full judgment.
It will be a time when the first will be last and the last will be first. I am so glad I don’t have to be God and figure all this out. What will he do when there is someone who has never heard of Christ who is standing next to someone who has had the advantage of the church all their lives? What will he do about those who do not have the capacity to fully understand? I don’t know, but I know who God is. He is fair. He judges justly. He takes all things into account and weighs all the evidence. Whatever he does will be completely fair and equitable.
Most people think of it as being a simple matter of going either to heaven or hell. What many people do not understand is that there will be degrees of reward and punishment. Jesus said, “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:47-48). If you have been given great privileges then you are accountable in ways that other people are not.
If you remember the parable of the talents, the master gives to one servant ten pieces of money, to another five, and to another one, “each according to his ability” (Matthew 25:15). The master did not give ten talents to the one with the least ability, but to the one with the most. God does not expect what we cannot produce, but he does expect us to use what we have been given. This parable also teaches that there are different levels of reward — the more you use what God has given you, the greater your reward will be. But the one who hid what he had, and did not use it, lost even the little he had. Jesus said, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (Matthew 25:29).
In response to this Paul writes: “But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 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” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
It is a full judgment because not only will every thing we do be taken into account, but every thought, every motive, every intention. Listen to the fullness of the judgment as described in the book of Hebrews: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). The Bible says, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).
It is a full judgment because not only will punishment be handed out, but rewards will be given. This is time of rewarding those who do well, as well as punishing those who do wrong. Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:1). The Bible says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Finally, the third point is: The judgment will be final. There are no second chances. There are no reincarnations where some people get to come back and try it again. But you can do something now. You can make a mid-course correction. You have the opportunity to give your life to God and begin to live for him productively, but the day will come when your opportunities will be over. You will think your last thought; you will sing your last song; you will make your last decision; you will take your last breath. Time will be no more. The Bible says that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
There are several popular theories people have about what eternity will be like. Some believe that there is no hell. Others believe that after you have been in hell for awhile, and suffered long enough, you will get out. Still others believe that those who don’t make it to heaven will simply cease to exist. All interesting theories, but what did Jesus have to say about it? After all, he is the one who stepped out of eternity and came to earth; surely he more than any other would know what eternity is like. Jesus said, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). All of us were created to live forever, and there is nothing we can do to change that. We will live forever, either with God or without him. We cannot change the fact that we will live forever, but we can change where we will spend forever.
The Bible says, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10). Little wonder Paul said, “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). But this is a response of love, not fear.
Many of us watched Michelle Kwan cringing before the judges after her final performance at the Olympics, knowing she had made critical mistakes. We saw the tears of regret when the judges posted their marks. One slip and the judges took away her coveted gold medal. That is not how it will be for those who know Christ at the final judgment. For those who have been forgiven, the cringing and fear are gone. Our sins have been taken away and God looks for the good we have done. He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21). We read in the book of Matthew: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 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. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left” (Matthew 25:31-33). The final judgment is a time of great blessing for those who know Christ and faithfully live for him. It is a homegoing and a time of reward.
The prophet Daniel had a vision of the final day, and he wrote about it with these words: “As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:9-10).
According to a recent USA Today poll, the top five things people put off until the last minute are: House chores/yard work: 47%; holiday gift shopping: 43%; making doctor/dentist appointments: 35%; calling relatives: 31%; changing oil in the car: 29%. I think there is one thing the people taking the poll missed: putting off getting our lives right with God. Somehow we think this is something we can put off until another time, a later time — perhaps the last minute, and yet this is the most important decision we will ever make. It is possible to put it off until there is no more time. But why give God the leftovers of your life? Why not give all the time you have left? Why not do it now?
Rodney J. Buchanan
February 24, 2002
Mulberry St. UMC
Mt. Vernon, OH
www.MulberryUMC.org
Rod.Buchanan@MulberryUMC.org
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION (February 24, 2002)
1. Read Psalm 103:8-12. What does this say about God? Will people get what they deserve at the judgment, or what they don’t deserve?
2. Read Acts 10:34-35. Why is God different from other judges? How does this affect your feeling about appearing before him?
3. Read Acts 17:29-31. Why are we accountable to God? Why should we have to answer to him at the judgment?
4. Read Luke 12:47-48. This indicates that there will be degrees of punishment and rewards. Is this different from what most people think?
5. Read Mark 9:42-48. Did Jesus see heaven and hell as lasting only for a time, or forever?
6. Read Matthew 25:29. What does this say about what God expects of us?
7. Read Hebrews 4:12-13. What parts of our lives will be judged?
8. Read Revelation 22:1 & Hebrews 11:6. We often think in terms of punishment in regard to the judgment. What else will God hand out?
9. Read 2 Corinthians 5:9-10. How different would most people’s lives be if they truly believed this?
10. Paul said, “So we make it our goal to please him.” Does this reflect your attitude?
