“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
1 Peter 4:17 KJV
THE JUDGMENT
Just What Do You Mean... THE JUDGMENT!
When we come to this thought of God's judgment we approach a subject upon which there has been a fathomless sea of ignorance and misunderstanding. Contrary to the popular opinions of the religious systems there is no such thing as a GENERAL JUDGMENT for all men. Such a doctrine is pagan in origin and flows from the philosophies of demons. The idea that there is in the future one particular time and circumstance in which all creatures, whether celestial or terrestrial, shall be brought before the bar of Divine Justice is contrary to the Word of God. The view generally entertained is of Christ coming to earth, seated upon a great white throne, and that He will summon every sinner in rank and file before Him to be judged, amidst great convulsions of nature - earthquakes, opening graves, rending rocks and failing mountains; that the trembling sinners will be brought from the depths of everlasting woe to hear their many sins rehearsed, only to be again returned to an eternal and merciless doom of torture; and that the saints will be brought from heaven (of course many saints have a fear that they may appear at that judgment as one judged) to witness the misery and despair of the damned, and return to heaven for eternity. I do not hesitate to say that this is a very crude conception, and is entirely out of harmony with the whole picture of judgment. This distorted picture arises from a too-literal interpretation of a few verses of Scripture which were given merely as SYMBOLS, to be understood by the Spirit. There are far more judgments than people have ordinarily recognized. The fact is, the Scriptures speak of MANY JUDGMENTS! Some judgments are already past, some are continuously present, and some are yet future. It is misleading to speak of "THE JUDGMENT" as though it were only one event limited to some time in the future. A careful and prayerful study of the Word will show that there are judgments of unholy angels (messengers), of Satan, of Israel, of cities, of nations, of sin, of death, of the believer, of servants, of sons, of unbelievers, etc., etc. Each takes place at a different time, in different surroundings, and in a different way. It may aid our comprehension to list a few of the judgments of God upon sin. Before proceeding, however, we need to understand exactly what is meant by the word "judgment." Judgment is translated in the Old Testament most often from the Hebrew word MISHPAT. MISHPAT means simply "a verdict" which may be either favorable or unfavorable. The only judgment most people understand is the negative aspect of judgment, the unfavorable verdict, which is unto condemnation and wrath. It should require only a moment's reflection, however, to enable anyone to see that the very same judge who sentences one man to pay a fine, another to die in the electric chair, may suspend the sentence of a third man and declare yet a fourth man "not guilty"- acquitted! It is plain that a great many different "judgments" or "verdicts" may come from this one judge. Thus, the work of the judge is not merely to condemn and mete out sentences, but to weigh all the facts and take all the circumstances into consideration in each case and render a just verdict, favorable or unfavorable, as the case may demand. Furthermore, the "judge" of a beauty contest does not condemn or damn any of the contestants who fail to receive the highest recognition. He merely renders a "verdict" as to whom, in his estimation, is "the fairest of them all"! In keeping with these principles the Hebrew word MISHPAT indicates merely the rendering of a judicial verdict or decision, favorable or unfavorable, as the case may warrant. The Psalmist spoke of this when he said, "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But GOD IS THE JUDGE: He putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Ps. 75:6-7). The positive aspect of judgment, the rendering of afavorable verdict, is implored of the Lord by David in Ps. 43:1-2: "JUDGE ME, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: for Thou art the God of my strength."
The word "judgment," moreover, signifies even more than the rendering of a verdict. It includes the idea of a trial, as well as the decision based upon that trial. And this is true not only in the English word judgment, but also of the Greek word it translates in the New Testament. In the Greek New Testament there are a number of terms used in connection with the judgments of God. Each is based on the "KRI" stem of "KRINO" meaning "I judge." There is the word KRISIS from which we derive our English word "crisis" and which carries basically the same meaning as our English word "crisis." It denotes an experience and time of crucial testing, and has reference to the experience one undergoes out of which a decision, or judgment, is made KRIMA relates to the condemnation of the criminal. KRIT'ES and KRIT'IKOS ("critical" in English) both speak of the judge and his decision, while yet another Greek word, KRIT'ERION, refers to the basis for his decision or sentence (as "criterion" in English).
PAST TIMES OF JUDGMENT
The first great judgment (trial and sentence) was at the beginning, in Eden, when the whole human race, as represented in its head, Adam, stood on trial before God. The result of that trial was the verdict - Guilty, disobedient, his sin being worthy of punishment and correction; and the penalty inflicted was death - "Dying thou shalt die" (Gen. 2:17, margin). And so it is that "In Adam ALL DIE" (I Cor. 15:21-22). Most have never thought of this as a JUDGMENT DAY for mankind, but such it was, for there was a trial, a sentencing, and the sentence was, and is, as we all know, fully carried out. That trial time in Eden was the world's FIRST JUDGMENT DAY, and the decision of the Judge has ever since been enforced. Again we read, "The wrath of God IS REVEALED from heaven against all unrighteousness of men" (Rom. 1:18). This wrath of God which is revealed against the ungodliness of men may be seen in every funeral procession. Every tomb and every grave stone is a witness to it. Dread diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes and aids are a part of it. It is felt in every ache and pain, in every tragedy and sorrow, in every frustration and torment, in the ignorance, poverty, and fear men experience daily - all of which are the results of the first trial and sentence - the righteous sentence of God, that we are unworthy of the life and blessings originally provided for man when obedient and walking in union with God. But, praise the Lord! mankind is to be recovered from the sentence of that first trial, for the penalty was not to be inflicted forever, only until the Redeemer should come and offer Himself as one sacrifice for ALL. And so it is written of Jesus: "Now we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of THE WORLD" (Jn. 4:42). "The bread which I will give is My flesh, which I give FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD" (Jn. 6:51). "God sent not His Son into THE WORLD to condemn THE WORLD; but that THE WORLD through Him might be saved" (Jn. 3:17). "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD" (I Jn. 2:2). "God was in Christ, reconciling THE WORLD unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (II Cor. 5:19). "Therefore asby the offence of one JUDGMENT CAME UPON ALL MEN to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One THE FREE GIFT CAME UPON ALL MEN unto justification of life" (Rom. 5:18). Thus we see the scope of man's first judgment and the provision for his release from the penalty inflicted. Bless His name!
There have been many other judgments beyond this general judgment that fell upon man in the beginning. At various times in the past God has called peoples and nations to account for their actions and executed His judgments by bringing destruction upon them. The best known of these is the world-wide deluge in the days of Noah of which we read: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; for it repenteth Me that I have made them" (Gen. 6:5-7). The destructive judgments of God have always come as a result of the wicked conduct of the people in their daily lives. Sodom and Gomorrah are graphic examples of this. God inspected those cities and determined that the sin of the inhabitants was very heavy; He judged that the cities must be brought to ruin (Gen. 18:20-21; 19:14). Later Jude wrote that those cities underwent the "vengeance (Gr: judgment)" of "fire" which brought destruction (Jude 7). So these cities experienced a "day" of judgment.
God conducted a legal case against ancient Babylon, the longtime enemy of God and His people. Because of being unnecessarily cruel to the house of Judah, not intending to release them after the seventy-year captivity and crediting the god Marduk with the victory over God's people, Babylon was in line for a destructive judgment. That came to Babylon in the year 539 B.C. when it was violently overthrown by the Medes and Persians (see Jer. 51:36; Isa. 14:3-6,17; Dan. 5:1-4). Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied that God would "put Himself in judgment" with Edom, among others (Jer. 25:17-31), hence that nation that had shown repeated hatred for the Lord and His people experienced destructive judgment and was obliterated from the earth. Likewise, when Judah and Jerusalem became unfaithful and merited the Lord's displeasure, He promised to "execute JUDGMENT in the midst of her" (Eze. 5:8). This destructive and corrective judgment came when Nebuchadnezzar came and plundered the land destroyed the city and the temple, and carried the people away slaves to Babylon (Eze. 7:19). However, another and more severe "day" or time of judgment on Jerusalem was prophesied. Joel foretold an outpouring of the Spirit of God which would begin "before that great and terrible day of the Lord" (Joel 2:28-31). Under the anointing of the Spirit Peter, on the day of Pentecost, explained that they were then experiencing the fulfillment of that prophecy (Acts 2:16-20). That particular day of destructive judgment came in A.D. 70 when the Roman armies executed judgment upon the Jews, destroying their city and temple, pillaging their land, murdering more than a million of its inhabitants, dispersing the survivors and catapulting them into a "judgment day" that lasted for nineteen long and tortuous centuries!
FUTURE TIMES OF DESTRUCTIVE JUDGMENT
The Word of God specifically foretells a number of yet future judgments which are destructive in their nature. Revelation points to the time when "Babylon the Great" or "Mystery Babylon" will be judged. Mystery Babylon signifies the universal worldly church system. Now, I am aware that there is even a higher meaning of Babylon which is found in a condition within the mind and spirit of man, which means that we have all, at one time or another, and perhaps even until now, been partakers of her even if we have separated from the religious systems of this world. The Lord has special inward dealings, judgmental processings by which He shall purge the very last vestige of Babylon out of the hearts of all His elect sons, praise His name. But the Spirit of the Lord makes me know that in the framework of the prophecies in Revelation chapters 17-18, He is specifically speaking of the CHURCH SYSTEMS, as such. Babylon is called "a woman." A woman, used as a symbol in the New Testament, signifies a church. The woman in Rev. 12 is the true church, the glorious body of Christ walking in the Spirit of God. The woman of Rev. 17 also signifies a church, but her character is impure and corrupted, for she is herself a harlot, and the mother of daughters like herself.
Mystery Babylon is not limited to any single ecclesiastical body, but is composed of many, indeed of ALL who are walking apart from the LIFE OF THE SPIRIT and the HEADSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST. For two thousand years God has been forming a heavenly people, born from above, filled with the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, led by the Spirit, growing up in the life and power of the Spirit, the workmanship of GOD BY THE SPIRIT, the true church of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven. Along side this glorious company of the Spirit-born and Spirit-led the enemy has planted the tares: the doctors of the law, the bishops, ministers, and priests performing empty ceremonies and rituals, and teachers poring over the dead letter of the Word, but never being quickened by the Spirit of Truth. These blind leaders of the blind are they who are the lords of a vast and powerful system which calls itself "the church," but which is not the church at all, but a blinding, restricting, abyss of incomprehensible darkness and confusion that holds men's spirits in such bondage to lifeless traditions that they can never see the glory of God nor His transcendent purpose in their lives. It is only when the blazing fire of the Omnipotent Spirit sovereignly penetrates the dankness and death of Babylon's walls that men first catch a glimpse of the living Christ of God and rise up to FOLLOW HIM. The chains fall off, the prison doors swing open on their rusty hinges and these followers of the Lamb behold a world of freedom and revelation and reality and life beyond the constricting walls of denominationalism, ritualism and tradition.
Men will never attain to sonship within the walls of Babylon! The piercing voice of the Spirit commands: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and ye shall be MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, saith the Lord Almighty" (II Cor. 6:17-18). Sects and denominations have absolutely nothing to do with the true church. Denominations are ALL man-made systems, structured contrary to the ways of the Spirit of God, and they are ALL the prison houses of Babylon. The church is a people related to God by Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. They are a people born from above, born free. And yet, many of the Lord's precious people sit in Babylon. Unto them our blessed Lord speaks today: "Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye RECEIVE NOT OF HER PLAGUES" (Rev. 18:4).
God has decreed HIS JUDGMENT against this idolatrous system of Babylon, and has already established by His own counsel HOW THE JUDGMENT SHALL BE EXECUTED. "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee THE JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT WHORE that sitteth upon many waters: so he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads, and TEN HORNS ... and the ten horns which thou sawest are TEN KINGS (kingdoms) ... and the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, THESE SHALL HATE THE WHORE, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and BURN HER WITH FIRE. For God hath put it in their hearts to fulfill HIS WILL, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled" (Rev. 17:1-3,12,16,17).
How clear it is to any who have eyes to see that this work of destructive judgment upon the harlot system of Babylon has already commenced! The real reason behind the ecumenical movement is not the fulfillment of Christ's prayer "that they all may be one in Him;" the truth is that it is a desperate and last-ditch effort to SAVE THE SYSTEM through unity, for the pews and coffers of most of Babylon's churches have been emptying out with ever increasing rapidity. The communist countries have wrought great havoc upon the organized churches, breaking their power completely in some areas. So many of God's people today, not seeing by the Spirit what God is doing in this hour, oppose the Spirit of God and fear, groan, lament and demonstrate because of what He is performing. How often, in our blindness, we get the cart before the horse! Christians spend great sums of money and expend much time and energy "fighting communism" because communism persecutes the saints and destroys religion and religious systems. But the Christians of the early church NEVER FORMED A JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY to fight the PAGAN ROMAN EMPIRE! They did not fear, neither did they cry or lament the fact of their persecution, tribulation, and martyrdom. They never lent their support to some "opposition government" which might by military might liberate them from the oppression of the Caesars. The Christians did not organize or promote demonstrations against the Jews who persecuted them. They DID pray for them! The spirit of the saints in that day was: "And they departed from the presence of the council, REJOICING that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Him name" (Acts 5:41). Paul said that he REJOICED in his sufferings, and Peter exhorted the saints: "REJOICE, inasmuch as ye are partakers of CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS; and when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (I Pet. 4:13).
The great principles that govern our present walk in the Kingdom of God are laid down by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus declared, "BLESSED ARE THEY which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. BLESSED ARE YE, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. REJOICE, and be EXCEEDING GLAD! for great is your reward in heaven" (Mat. 5:10-12). The Word of God resounds with this note of triumph and joy in the face of trouble and tribulation. And, yet, in this hour many Christians shrink in horror and fear exceedingly before the advance of communism throughout the world. But let me assure you that communism has not been able, anywhere, to destroy THE TRUE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, those born from above, walking in the Spirit of God! The true church does not need fine temples or halls, ritual-performing priests, Sunday School quarterlies, robed choirs, tax-exempt status, seminaries, or denominational hierarchies. Many thousands of followers of the Lamb have taken up their crosses, and in the underground churches behind the Iron Curtain have become strong in the power of HIS MIGHT and are doing exploits. I prophesy to you in the name of the Lord that the day shall come when the mighty invincible power of the Lord shall burst forth, even in Russia, from the midst of a people who have been purified, made white, and tried; so great shall be the swelling of the tide of the Omnipotent Spirit through the saints in that day that the glory that shall come shall literally knock the rulers of the Kremlin off their thrones of power and bring everlasting ruin and shame to that godless system.
In the meantime, however, we need to be wise to the purposes of the Lord. We are not to fear communism nor be dismayed when it comes right to our borders. We must not be upset because of the tribulation upon God's people in those lands, or upon ourselves should it spread across our land. Communism can never defeat nor destroy the chosen of God, but I declare to you by the word of the Lord that it can, has, and shall DESTROY THE BABYLONIAN RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS. Why is there so little religious freedom in communist countries? Why is it the communist's objective to remove all religion and the knowledge of God from the face of the earth? Why have the church properties been confiscated, the leaders killed, and the ministers jailed? Why have the religionists of all stripes been hounded and harassed, stripped of their former power when the state churches controlled the governments and dominated the lives of the people? Why? I ask. Because the almighty God, long centuries ago, decreed that BABYLON WOULD BE JUDGED! God has raised up communism as one of the instruments of that judgment. And when Mystery Babylon is obliterated from the face of the earth God's saints are admonished: "REJOICE OVER HER, thou heaven (those seated with Christ in the heavenlies), and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her" (Rev. 18:20).
God has His means for destroying Babylon in America, too! For a number of years now the trumpet call has been going forth by the spirit of revelation: "Come out of her, My people, THAT YE RECEIVE NOT OF HER PLAGUES" (Rev. 18:4). God is even now calling out of Babylon "HIS PEOPLE" that have so long been held captive within her precincts, her static creeds, idolatrous doctrines, empty rituals, dead ceremonies and programs, fleshly methods, and unspiritual institutions. The Spirit of God shall accomplish such a thorough job of calling His people out "unto Himself," that the inspired apostle John was emboldened to write: "Rejoice over her (Babylon), thou heaven (those seated in the heavenlies, caught up in the Spirit), and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers (praise and worship), and trumpeters (ministries sounding forth a message from God), SHALL BE HEARD NO MORE AT ALL_I-N_T-H-E-E; and the sound of a millstone (the grinding of meal for bread, the Word of God) SHALL BE HEARD NO MORE AT ALL IN THEE, and the light of a candle (even the little light left in Babylon) SHALL SHINE NO MORE AT ALL IN THEE; and the voice of the bridegroom (Jesus) and of the bride (the elect) SHALL BE HEARD NO MORE AT ALL IN THEE: for by thy sorceries were ALL NATIONS deceived" (Rev. 18:20-23).
Pointing to yet another destructive judgment, Peter drew upon what occurred in Noah's day and foretold a "day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men" (II Pet. 3:7). But Peter informs us not only of the time when wicked men shall be destroyed, but speaks of "the heavens (ruling powers) and earth (social order), which are now," which are "kept in store, reserved UNTO FIRE against the day of judgment and perdition (destruction)" (II Pet. 3:7). Yes, my friend, this present world order is coming to an end! This evil world will end in A DAY OF JUDGMENT. Fiery judgment. It will all pass away. Communism. Democracies. Economic systems. Ecclesiastical institutions. Science. Technology. Lodges. Seminaries. Schools. De- nominations. Political parties. ALL will pass away amid great commotion! "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a NEW HEAVENS (government of God) and a NEW EARTH (social order), WHEREIN DWELLETH RIGHTEOUSNESS!" (II Pet. 3:13).
Extracted from -
The Saviour of the World Series
by J. Preston Eby
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/Judgment-Eby.html
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/
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