Believers’ Final Judgment

Christ came the first time as Savior to die for our sins in our place to save those who believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit regenerates the elect dead sinners that they may repent of their sins, believe in Jesus, obey Jesus, and love one another. In John’s first epistle, which consists of four pages in my Bible, I studied the word “love.” It appears in verb and noun form a total of forty-four times. That tells us that if we are born of God, we will love God and love our brothers and sisters. Good works are the proof that we are born again.

In 1 John 5:1–3 the apostle John writes, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ [has been] born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.” Note, in John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” Then John continues, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” Elsewhere Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). Jesus also said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life and have it [more abundantly]” (John 10:10). This is speaking about eternal life.

All God’s people will love sacrificially, even as Christ loved us. The first fruit of the Spirit is sacrificial love.

Christ is coming again, not as Savior, but as Judge of all people. Christ is coming again in glory to bless believers in Jesus and to curse unbelievers. Blessing consists in eternal life; curse consists in eternal punishment in hell.

The Judge Is Coming

Jesus is coming in glory. When he comes again, his enemies will not be able to spit on his face, slap him, mock him, or crucify him. He is coming again in glory, as we read in the following scriptures:

• Matthew 17:2: “There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.”
• Matthew 25:31: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the [holy] angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”

What about those who do not want to believe in him? When they see him, they will be filled with fear and tremble. He is Jesus, the Son of Man. He is Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

• Matthew 28:18–20: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” He has all authority. He is coming in glory.
• Daniel 7:13–14: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

When Jesus comes again, he will separate people. He will put believers on his right and unbelievers on his left. He knows who is who. Most people in this world are damned. They hate Jesus Christ. But to the believers he will say, “Come, you who are blessed of my Father. Come, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). Eternal life means eternal happiness with God. That is the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world.

• Ephesians 1:3-4: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ [because] he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” God elected us before the creation of the world. Do you know that our names are written in the book of life? If you are an elect, when you hear the gospel, you will repent and believe.

Faith in Jesus Is the Basis of Judgment

Those who believe in Jesus do good works to Christ’s brothers and sisters when they are in need.

• Matthew 25:34–36: “Then the King [our Lord Jesus Christ] will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance [which is eternal happiness], the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

Such sacrificial acts of love literally happened when the Holy Spirit was poured out in the beginning of the twentieth century. The Holy Spirit was poured out in Los Angeles and this revival spread throughout the world, even to my own state of Kerala, India. There I saw people loving one another sacrificially. If anyone was sick, people would come and fast and pray for that person to be healed. That does not mean you should not go to a doctor.

So Jesus said, “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you looked after me; I was in prison, and you visited me.” Christians are brothers and sisters, for we belong to the family of God. There is no discrimination in the church because it is the family of God. We are the brothers and sisters of Jesus, as proved by the following scriptures:

• Matthew 12:46–50: “While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” Faith in Jesus Christ brings us into the family of God, and in these verses we see the idea of the obedience of faith (see also Rom. 1:5). If we are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, we will obey the will of God our heavenly Father.
• Hebrews 2:10–12: “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.’” Here again we see that we all belong to the same family. We are brothers and sisters of Jesus, who is our oldest brother.
• Matthew 25:37-39: “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’”
• Matthew 25:40: King Jesus will reply, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” We belong to the family of God. Brothers and sisters exist throughout the whole world.

In December 1960, a poor pastor’s wife, who knew that I was going to this country, gave me five rupees (two dollars). When I returned to India after many years, I looked for her, but she had died in Christ. I had gone through Switzerland on my way back and I had bought a watch. So I gave the watch to her son, remembering the kindness his mother had shown me.

In 1961, I was in school in New York and needed a place to stay during the summer break. I looked at my address book and saw the name my pastor had given me of an old believer, Mrs. Habib. I took the train from Oyster Bay to her place, and she received me. The next day, she took me to a Reformed pastor whose wife had recently died. He told me to stay with him and then took me to his banker. He told him, “If he needs any money, give it to him from my account.” Though I did not need his money, I lived with him for a time. We are all members of the family of God—brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers.

King Jesus is coming to judge the living and the dead. All nations will be raised up to stand before him. The question is, is your name written in the book of life? Consider the following:

• Revelation 20:11-15: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” This is speaking about those who did not believe in Jesus.
• Luke 10:20: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
• Acts 16:30–31: The Philippian jailer brought Paul and Silas out and asked them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered him: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved—you and your household.”
• Acts 10:42: “[Jesus] commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”
• 2 Timothy 4:1: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge.” He is coming, whether before you die or after you die. It is true that two thousand years have gone by and he has not come. Indeed, he will not come until the last elect person believes in Christ.
• Acts 24:15: Paul said, “I have the same hope in God as these men [the Jewish leaders], that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.”
• John 5:22: “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.” Jesus Christ is the Judge.
• Acts 17:31: “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man [Jesus Christ] he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Jesus is coming.

Yet most people in the world belong to the devil. John writes: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Such people are sinning continuously.

Jesus taught about the few and the many: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to [eternal] life, and only a few find it” (Matt. 7:13–14). Only a few believe in Jesus. Many churches are synagogues of Satan. They lack the first mark of the church: preaching the gospel. Here we preach the gospel.

The wicked reject Jesus and Jesus will reject them in the final judgment. Unbelievers refuse to believe in Jesus. Oh, they may be educated. Some may even go to Harvard. But they say, “The gospel is a myth. Death is the final destiny of everyone, so just make sure you have enough money to retire well.” They do not believe that Jesus is coming in glory as Judge to send all unbelievers to eternal hell. But the Bible tells us otherwise:

• Matthew 25:41–43: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’”
• 2 Thessalonians 1:7b–9: “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 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.”

Hell is eternal conscious punishment for the wicked. The unbelievers will ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?” (v. 44). Jesus will reply: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these my brothers, sisters, and mothers—all who belong to the family of God, you did not do for me.”

The final destiny of many is this: “They will go away to eternal punishment” (v. 46). Believers are few. But they, the righteous, will go to eternal life (v. 46). I believe in it. It is conscious eternal blessing.

Being Rich in Good Works Is the Proof of Salvation

Believers are rich in love and in sacrificial giving. True believers in Jesus are rich in good works done by the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Philippians 2:12–13: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Obedience means we love God by loving God’s people. In this church we do this.

We must always keep in mind that Jesus is coming again in glory. Paul writes, “Therefore God exalted [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9–11). Before unbelievers are sent to hell eternal, they will bow their knees and confess Jesus Christ is Lord, and they will do so with fear and trembling.

We are saved by faith, but faith that saves is not alone. As I was studying Hebrews 11 recently, I was struck by the fact that the word “faith” is used at least twenty-seven times in that one chapter. True saving faith is not empty. (PGM) Faith does good works. Noah built the ark by faith. Abraham sacrificed his son by faith. Faith works. Faith means the obedience of faith. And those who do not obey are eternally damned. Thus, good works are proof that we are saved, as we read in the following verses:

• James 2:14–17: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” The answer is no. It is false faith. “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” And elsewhere James says the devil believes in Jesus but he does not obey him. That is dead, false faith.
• 1 John 3:16–18: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
• 1 John 4:19–21: “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
• Ephesians 4:28: “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
• Galatians 6:10: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers,” the family of God.
• 2 Corinthians 9:6–8: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
• Luke 21:1–4: “As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” The poor widow only had two copper coins. Professor Edmund Clowney taught us preaching using this text. He said that this widow had three options. First, she could have said, “I am poor, so God doesn’t expect me to give anything.” Second, she could say, “I can give one coin. That is fifty percent.” But we are told that she gave both coins—one hundred percent. Jesus commended her, saying, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” And I believe Jesus helped her to live the rest of her life.
• Ephesians 2:10: “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” that is, prepared in eternity. God’s people will do God’s will.
• 1 Timothy 6:17–18: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share,” especially with God’s people.
• Acts 2:44–45: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”
• Acts 4:32–35: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”
• James 1:27: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

There are four marks of a true church: first, the word of God is preached by pious and learned pastors; second, two sacraments—baptism and the holy communion—are practiced; third, church discipline is practiced, because all four soils are in the church, and the first three soils will be disciplined and leave, in due time; and, finally, there is fellowship, a mark that we added. In other words, do not come to church and then go home quickly afterwards. If you are a member of God’s family, you will linger and speak to others to find out through fellowship what their needs are. Then you will sacrifice yourself to help them. We are to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Conclusion

In Luke 16, we read the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus was poor, but he believed in God, and when he died, he went to heaven. The rich man expected to go to heaven because he was rich, and there was an understanding that rich people were true believers. So he expected to go to heaven because he was rich, but when he died, he went to hell, where he was in fire, in agony, and in torment. In hell, he became a believer but it was too late. He could not get out, nor could he warn his five brothers who did not believe in Jesus. It was too late.

The rich young ruler in Matthew 19 refused to obey God. He refused to sell all that he had, give to the poor, and become a disciple of Jesus. His God was money (Matt. 6:24). He went away sad and unsaved.

But an understanding of the final judgment will motivate true believers to do the following:

1. To believe in Jesus Christ and do good works.
2. To practice holy living.
3. To engage in household evangelism. When the Philippian jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas told him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved—and your household” (Acts 16:30-31).
4. To help the family of God. Paul writes, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Gal. 6:10).
5. To not fear death.
6. To be generous in giving, as the widow with two copper coins was generous.
7. To fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2).
8. To anticipate living with God in the new heaven and the new earth forever in eternal happiness.

Every elect sinner will experience regeneration of the Holy Spirit so that he or she will repent and believe in Jesus Christ, obey his will, and be rich in good works, in labors of love, especially toward the family of God. We will not see unbelievers in heaven; we will see our brothers and sisters in heaven. It is what we do for them in the name of Jesus that will be rewarded. Then we shall hear from Jesus, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). That is the purpose of human existence.

May God help each one of us to hear these words of eternal benediction from Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.