The Quick And The Dead

Beloved, this message is on “The quick and the dead.” The Bible says in Acts of the Apostles 10:42 that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. One thing which is certain is that when God is dispensing His judgement, He will treat a person the way he is, whether he be among the quick or the dead. Those alive in Christ will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, whilst those who are dead in sin and trespasses will stand to receive their judgment before the terrifying seat of Jehovah.

No matter what one does here, it is definite that the day of reckoning is coming. The Bible says that everyone shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of what he has done in the flesh, whether good or evil. This is the day every man’s work shall be tested by fire. The Bible says that if any man’s work stands, he shall receive a reward, otherwise he shall be saved as someone who passes through fire. We know there is no way a person will pass through fire without having his clothes, hair and flesh severely burnt. The case of such of a victim will surely defy medical treatment. It is therefore important to pray that this day should not come upon us unawares. It is equally important to be wary of the fact that on the day of reckoning, Jesus Christ is coming to judge whatever we might have done, whether good or bad. You must have seen fellow human beings killing people to make money; you must also have witnessed those who manifest bitterness and malice in their lives. Don’t despair at all, for the inevitable day of reckoning is around the corner. My prayer is that the day will not catch us unawares, in Jesus' name.

I was invited to a burial ceremony sometime ago, and as I was about to pray, I looked at the deceased in the coffin, and it occurred to me that in spite of his nice clothes and handsome looks, he was gone. It also dawned on me that his fleet of cars and beautiful houses would never be of any use to him again. I told all those who gathered at the funeral that the man in the coffin was reminding us that every one of us would join our Creator one day to give an account of our stewardship, whether we like it or not. That man had indeed gone forever, and no prayer whatsoever could help him. Some people live their lives as if they will not stand before the judgment throne of God. This is a deceit of the highest order. The Bible has not left us in doubt concerning the seriousness of the judgment of God. The Bible takes absolute care to describe the Day of Judgment in very many terrifying ways. It calls it, “The Great judgment day of perdition,” “Eternal judgment,” “Judgment without mercy,” “Resurrection of damnation,” and “the Day of wrath and revelation of unrighteousness.” In another place, it calls it “The Great White Throne Judgment,” “The second death in the lake of fire,” “Everlasting destruction from the presence of God” and “The Great and dreadful day.”

It would be a great tragedy for a person who had prayed that demons should be bound and be roasted, to be thrown into the midst of those demons. There is no doubt that such a person would be the worst inmate of hell, because those demons he once attacked would revenge and punish him severely. For such a person, it would be eternal suffering in hell where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hell is without doubt a dreadful place. The only description in the Bible that aptly qualifies the period that precedes the judgment exercise is the “Great Tribulation.” This will happen after the sound of the trumpet has gone forth, and all the genuine Christians are gone. God’s judgment would be straightforward and sincere. Jesus once lived among men here on earth. He became qualified to obtain the mandate of a judge because He had the experience of suffering in the flesh.

GOD’S JUDGMENT

God’s judgment would be according to His truth and righteousness. The judgment day will not be like the worldly law courts where one’s power of oration is capable of manipulating the judge to pervert the course of judgment, or where it is possible for a guilty person to hire a brilliant lawyer to get vindicated, or where the judge of a lower court can sometimes make mistakes which an appeal court will overturn or where an appeal court can err such that the supreme court will overturn the judgement. The judgment of God is a flawless one. He would judge without error and bias. Understand this fact very well: God is not in the business of accepting excuses of Adam in respect of the forbidden fruit which he ate. God will judge according to one’s deed. God is not a respecter of persons. God is a leveler who will judge both the rich and the poor the same way. People who sinned under the law shall be judged by the law, and those who did not have the law shall be judged by their conscience. The secrets of men shall be exposed concerning what they say with their mouths. You may say that you are free to use your mouth as you wish, and you may even call yourself anything. If I put on a strange apparel and begin to call myself an angel, you may not argue with me, but I know within myself that I am not an angel of God. The judgment in question shall be carried out by the rod of God. The severity of God’s judgment is reflected in the statement of the rich man in hell who asked that his brothers should be warned to behave lest they go to hell. But what was the reply of Abraham? He said, they had Moses and the prophets and if they did not believe them, they would not believe anyone else, not even people who rose from the dead. The judgment shall be given out according to the gospel. So, to reject Christ is a serious matter.