How Will Your Fate Be Determined on Judgment Day?

Two truths that have been set forth are Biblically evident. First, a person's works, words, and thoughts will be examined on the Day of Judgment; and second, witnesses will stand and testify against any and all excuses you may wish to offer on that dreadful day.

How many of our works, words, and thoughts will be examined on that day? I would personally like to think that all the sins I committed that have been forgiven will not be mentioned. There are even verses that seem to indicate this, such as the following:

1) Isaiah 38:17 - "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back."

2) Micah 7:19 - "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

3) Psalm 103:12 - " As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

When I read these verses, it sure seems to me that my past sins that have been forgiven will be placed in places that will never be dug up again. It appears that places like "behind God's back," "in the depths of the sea," and "as far as the east is from the west," are places I won't have to worry about!

However, there are other scriptures that indicate that EVERY work, word, and thought will be brought up at the final judgment. Consider the following:

1) Matthew 12:36 - "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."

2) Ecclesiastes 12:14 - " For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

So, which is it? Will we give account of all of our works, or just some of them? The fact is this: the above verses that speak of sins being removed deal with those who are saved.  The verses that deal with every work being judged deal with the lost.  But know this: Romans 14:12 states clearly that "...every one of us shall give account of himself to God." That is the important thing, and it affects every one of us.

Picture this: You are standing before God.  The books are opened. Your works are examined, both the good and the bad. After the books (the record of your works) have been opened, God has three last witnesses that come forward. They are named in I John 5:8 -

"And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."

These are God's witness that testify to every lost person in the world NOW. All of God's witnesses DEMAND a response. You will respond one way or another. You are not neutral. You are for Him or against Him. You are a sheep or a goat. You are saved or lost. No in-betweens. No fence-straddling. And when God's witnesses on the earth testify to you, you will meet them again at the Judgment.

"The Spirit" is the witness of God's Spirit, the Holy Ghost, in this world. He convicts you of your sins, letting you know that you are lost, and you need a Saviour. You may be atheistic in thought, but very few atheists (probably none of them) are really that stupid. When the atheist says in his heart that there is no God, God's Spirit has spoken to them in a still, small voice, saying, "You know better than that." When God's spirit deals with anyone about being saved, it is that person's responsibility to RESPOND to Him by yielding, turning his life over to Jesus Christ, and making Christ Lord of his life.

"The water" is the Word of God. Note Ephesians 5:26 - "That he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word." God's Word is testifying to you in this life. When you hear a gospel message, the truth presented in a blog, a gospel tract, or simply someone living the precepts of the Bible in front of you, the Word of God is testifying to you, and you will meet this witness again on the Day of Judgment.

"The blood" is the witness of the blood of Jesus Christ. When the message of His atoning blood is presented to you, you will respond one way or the other. Everyone responds to the blood of Jesus. The day that Jesus was crucified, everyone that was present on that day witnessing the execution was moved one way or another. Pilate said, "I am innocent of this blood." The Jews said, "His blood be on us, and on our children." The Judas betrayed innocent blood. One thief mocked the blood of Christ; the other was washed in the blood of Christ. But NO ONE WAS NEUTRAL. Everyone responded to the blood, and now you must do the same. Christ died to pay for your sins and appease the wrath of the Father. Will you trust His blood to save you today, or will you reject the blood of Jesus? The blood will meet you again at the Judgment.

So, there you are, standing before God. Your works have been examined. Suppose that the Father looks at you after all your deeds have undergone examination. Suppose He says this: "I am willing to put away every sin you ever committed, if you responded correctly to my three witnesses while you were living on the earth." Then, the Father calls the Spirit to testify. He asks, "Did **** respond to you correctly when you dealt with his/her heart to be saved?" Will the Spirit testify for you or against you? Then, the Father calls the water (or the Word of God) to the stand to testify. The Father asks, "Did **** respond to the Word by believing it or rejecting it?" Will the Word of God testify for you or against you? Then, the blood of Jesus will cry out. The Father's next question is simply "Did **** respond correctly to the blood of Jesus Christ?" What will the blood of Jesus testify concerning you? The Father doesn't want anyone to be cast into the lake of fire. He is willing to forgive every sin you've ever committed, but you must rightly respond to the Spirit, the water, and the blood. If you fail to do so, there's nothing else but the Father to do. One final book will be opened - the book of life. Revelation 20:15 - "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

The good news is this: If you will respond right to the Spirit, the water, and the blood, every sin will be forgiven, and you will obtain eternal life in spite of anything you have said, done, or thought. The blood of Jesus Christ washes every sin! Why not respond correctly RIGHT NOW? Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, washing your sins away in His precious blood. He will save you, and He'll cast every sin into the depths of the sea, never to be remembered against you again! Be saved today!

Witnesses on the Day of Judgment

Yes, as you are standing before God, witnesses will testify either for you, or against you. Consider Matthew 12:41, 42 -

"The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."

Romans 14:12 says this: "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

Noah Webster defines account as "an assignment of reasons; explanation by a recital of particular transactions, given by a person in an employment, or to a superior, often implying responsibility."

Giving an "account" means giving an "explanation." Let me be clear. Some have the idea that, if they do stand before God, God will be obligated to tell them "why this happened" and "why that happened." You need to back up just a minute. God Almighty will not be the one required to explain anything; YOU will be the one on trial. God Almighty will be the One asking questions and demanding answers. AND YOU WILL GIVE ACCOUNT. You can explain to Him why you put off salvation too long. You can explain to Him why you disregarded the preaching of God's unadulterated Word. You can explain to Him why you let crummy excuses cause you to be lost forever. The good news is this - it does not have to be that way. You can ask the Lord to save you today and give your life to Him, and Judgment Day will not be day of agony for you!

I am sure that, as people stand before God, and give account of themselves, there will be excuses offered. Understand this - NO EXCUSE WILL HOLD WATER ON JUDGMENT DAY! Whatever excuse you offer for why you didn't let Jesus save you, there will be a witness stand up to testify against you. Let me illustrate. Suppose "Bill" is standing before God. He offers his excuse for his lost state - "Lord, I had to go to work every day in a bad evironment! No one can live for you in those conditions!" Then, a witness will stand up in the crowd. Being granted permission to speak, he says to the Lord, "Lord, I worked IN THE SAME EVIRONMENT, but I served you." And that lame, sorry excuse will be thrown out. Perhaps "Susie" stands before God and offers her excuse for not heeding to the Spirit of God. She says, "Lord, you know my husband left me. If he hadn't left me, we would have served you together." Now, do you think "Susie" is only woman in the world whose husband left her? Nope. And another woman will rise on that day, and say, "Lord, my husband left me as well, but I lived my life for you." That excuse, though it is a hard circumstance, will be thrown out and rendered meaningless to the Creator of heaven and earth.

So, what's your excuse? Why are reading this, yet unsaved? One of the most popular excuses is this - "there are too many hypocrites in church." Oh, really? How does that let you off the hook, and make it okay for you to reject Christ? Someone will rise in the Judgment, and say, "Lord, I went to church with hypocrites, but it didn't stop me from serving you." And, before God and the entire world, you will look like an idiot if you offer the "hypocrite excuse" on the Day of Judgment.

There is only one way your circumstance will be a valid excuse for rejecting Christ when you stand before God. If there is just ONE Christian in the entire world who went through the same circumstance you did, but they served God, then your circumstance is really not your problem. The Day of Judgment will illustrate Romans 2:1, which states, "Therefore, thou art inexcusable, O Man!" Hear me well. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for you being lost. NONE. You're depressed? Many who were depressed turned their life over to God. NO EXCUSE. You've had a hard life? Your parents died when you were young? You were molested as a child? You've had to bury one of your children? You've had to bury a spouse? A relative committed suicide? Have you went to church regularly in the past, but got hurt? Listen, I'm not trying to be hard. All these things are very hard things to take, and many of them are things with which I have not been acquainted. However, I know Christians who are serving God with all their hearts who have been through THESE EXACT SAME THINGS. Rather than using them as excuses, they used them as a means to take steps to the Saviour, and let Him save them. That puts you, dear friend, without a single excuse. If you are letting circumstances keep you from serving God, why don't you turn those circumstances over to Jesus, and let Him be a friend to you today? Ask Jesus to save you. Make Him Lord of your life today.

The Time, the Place, and the Mood of the Judgment

The Time of the Judgment
As for the time of the Day of Judgment, only God knows the specific time. It will be at the end of time as we know it. I have often wondered how long it is going to take the Lord to judge every individual in the world, one by one. However, it is my opinion that we will not be conscious of time, for when the seventh trumpet sounds, Revelation 10:6 declares that TIME SHOULD BE NO LONGER. I suppose that, if you could measure the length of the Day of Judgment, it would take at least millions of years. Needless to say, the Judge of all the earth will have plenty of "time" to examine each and every individual thoroughly.

The Place of the Judgment
As for the place of the Judgment, heaven is most probable. Notice Revelation 20:11, 12 - "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." The first thing John sees at the scene of the Judgment is God's GREAT WHITE THRONE, which, to the best of my knowledge, is in heaven. I think that placing the Judgment in heaven gives explanation for Revelation 21:1 - "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea." I believe it is probable that the last event that will take place in the present heaven is the Judgment. Because so much sin will be exposed in heaven on the Day of Judgment, the Father cleanses heaven of all such iniquity and uncleanness, destroying it, and creating a new one.

What might a person see while present at the Judgment? Obviously, the throne of God will be the center of rule. The book of Hebrews tells us of an "innumerable company of angels." Revelation 4 tells us of four beasts around the throne. There will be a vast multitude of people. It is unimaginable to try to think of the multitudes that will be present on that day.

The place of the Judgment will be saturated with the Majesty of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Gilbert Tennent wrote in his piece, The Solemn Scene of the Last Judgment:

"When the law was given by Moses upon Sinai, the mount trembled for fear, and was wrapped in fire and smoke; and the voice in the midst of the flames; which struck the whole hosts of Israel, with the utmost consternation.

"Now if the Lord appeared with so much majesty and terror when the law was given, how much more when He comes to avenge the breaches of it?"

Yes, the scene of the Day of Judgment will be more solemn that Mount Sinai when the law was given.

The Mood of the Judgment
When looking into the faces of those who died lost, what misery and shock! You will behold vile sinners who spoke against God while on earth. But, on that day, their faces will reveal terror, agony, and fear. Pale, ghostly, sweating faces of the lost will reveal regret. They never had time for God while on earth. But now, they are forced to MAKE TIME FOR GOD. Their riches are forever gone. Their families are no longer theirs. Their possessions are forever forgotten. The only thing that matters now is whether or not they knew God while living on earth - and they didn't!

Some lost people will be filled with anger. First, angry at themselves for not taking seriously the gospel message. As they wait in line to be judged, they see the smoke ascending from the pit. They are angry because refused Christ. Others will be angry at themselves for putting off salvation. They didn't flat out reject the gospel, but they said simply, "I'll get saved later." Now, it's later. But "LATER" on the Day of Judgment is too late. Some who are lost on Judgment Day will be angry at Christians for not being more determined to win them to Jesus. Some will be there who never heard a clear presentation of the gospel message. How sad!

Sinner friend, the time to be saved is NOW! Christian, the time to win souls is NOW! At the Judgment, it will be everlasting too late!

The Day of Judgment

Having been stirred recently concerning the Day of Judgment, I am writing some ramdom thoughts on the subject. No subject is as sobering to the born-again believer than that of the reality of a coming Day of Judgment.

Its Surety
Hebrews 9:27 - And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.

You can be certain of only a few things in life, but one appointment you can mark down with certainty is the fact that there is a day coming when God Almighty will judge this world. Acts 17:31 declares it this way: "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness..." The Day of Judgment is coming because God said it is. There is no debate about it. Judgment is coming! Just like refusing to believe in hell will not put out the flames, refusing to believe in a Day of Judgment will not keep it from arriving! You will stand before God, whether you believe you will or not. A vast number of people believing in the Day of Judgment does not strengthen its argument. A majority of people opposing the existence of a coming Day of Judgment does not weaken its argument. God, who cannot lie, said that you absolutely, positively, will stand before Him. Romans 14:12 says, "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." PERIOD. You have two appointments that you will not cancel - 1) "It is appointed unto men once to die," and 2) "After this, the judgment."

Its Finality
What is the highest court? It is not the United States Supreme Court. It is the Court of God Almighty Himself. The righteous Judge will rule on the Day of Judgment, and His rulings are FINAL and FOREVER. There are no other justices to write a dissenting opinion. As a matter of fact, no one's opinion will matter on that day. There is no other court to which to appeal. When the Judge on that day declares the outcome of your soul, it will be final and forever.

The rulings of the Judge will be based, not on the United States Constitution, or any court's interpretation of it. The rulings on the Day of Judgment will be based solely on the Word of God. When we look at the devastating ruling of Roe v. Wade and the Holocaust of over fifty million babies to which it led, you can know this: ROE V. WADE ABSOLUTELY WILL BE OVERTURNED BY A HIGHER COURT THAN THE U.S. SUPREME COURT! God Almighty will overturn it on the Day of Judgment as justice will be served to every murderous doctor, heartless mother, careless boyfriend or husband, and anyone else who promoted a woman's choice over a baby's life. It is sad; it is sick; and God Almighty will have the final say. I will insert clearly here that, because God Almighty will take care of sin, there is no need for any Christians to take judgment into their own hands. God is the Judge; not man. It is just as wicked for a citizen to take it upon himself to kill an abortion doctor (or anyone else for that matter) or blow up an abortion clinic as it is for someone to kill the unborn baby.

When man's courts and laws promote sin, know this: if the Bible says it's wrong, it's wrong. In some nations, it is illegal for ministers to preach parts of the Bible that forbid homosexuality. Should it ever be that way in the United States, know this: When God said it's wrong in Genesis, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Romans, and I Corinthians, it will be wrong on the dreadful Day of Judgment. The theme of Day of Judgment will be simply, "God's Word will be the last word!"

God will not only enforce what He has already stated in His Word, but His Word, the Holy Bible, will be the standard by which mankind is judged. God will not ask you what your philosophies are, and then judge you by them! You will be judged by God's Word, regardless of your belief or unbelief in it. You will not even be judged by your interpretation of the Word of God. You will be judged by the Word of God itself.

There are three areas of your life at which the Judge will look. First, your words will be examined. Matthew 12:36 states, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Then, your works will be examined. Revelation 20:12 says, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Thirdly, your thoughts will be examined. Consider Ecclesiastes 12:14 - "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

The reason your words, works, and thoughts will be compared to the law of God on that day is simple. Any time man is confronted with the law of God, it is always for a simple reason. Romans 3:19 gives the answer - "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." If you are an atheist, you may run your mouth in blasphemy down here, but hear me well. On the Day of Judgment, you will SHUT YOUR MOUTH as God Almighty Himself confronts you with your wickedness. Eventually, on that great Day of Judgment, the Bible declares in Romans 14:11 - "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." Voltaire, though deemed intellegent by philosophers and historians, will look like the actual idiot he was when he stands before a God he swore did not exist! No wonder the Bible declares in Psalm 14:1, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no god!" Madeline Murray O'Hare, the vulgar woman who could not stand the thought of prayers in the American public school system, will do her share of begging, pleading, and praying on the Day of Judgment. I am not trying to be mean here, but if you're fighting the very thought of God, I am just trying to show you that your unbelief won't stop the Day of Judgment! It is coming, and it is coming for YOU! You have appointment with the Creator of the universe. It has been said that "there are no atheists in the foxholes." Some have refuted this, stating that they served time in wars and never thought of calling on God. You may have held on to your stubbornness in the foxhole, but you will absolutely let go of your stubbornness and stupidity on the Day of Judgment. No atheists will be present on the Day of Judgment; only former atheists!

The Gospel Works!

Although many qualities of the gospel of Jesus Christ are apparent, perhaps the most profitable to mankind is the simple fact that IT WORKS! It works every time it is tried. Those who have placed their faith in the finished work of Calvary for their salvation have found Jesus Christ to be just what He claimed to be - the Saviour of mankind.

Consider my car. It works. As a matter of fact, everything works as it should. It runs smoothly. However, there are several parts under the hood that, if they cease to work properly, the car ceases to run smoothly. My car runs smoothly, but only as long as everything under the hood is working perfectly. Yes, there are a few things that can go wrong and not affect the smooth ride. However, there are many parts under the hood that their breakdown will directly affect the smooth ride of my vehicle. If the fuel pump goes out, I'll be sitting on the side of the road. If just one spark plug ceases to fire, the smooth ride will be over. This is how many Christians are, and it is a shame. Many Christians are ready to live for God, win souls, pray fervently, study their Bible regularly, fast, go to church...until one little inconvenience occurs in their life. Then, they fall apart! Their faith is shaken. Their devotion withers. Their testimony ceases. They forget about prayer. They may even blame God for their unfavorable situations. But brothers and sisters, we have a better gospel than this. We have a gospel that works. The gospel I preach works just as good when things go wrong as it does when everything is going fine. As a matter of fact, sometimes it works better in adversity than in good times. The "gospel ship" is a ship that not only works during the storm; it was built for the storm! Our gospel army not only continues to operate in times of battle; we were trained for the battle!

Some seem to have this idea that if we, the church in the United States of America, do not elect good men to public office, then we will not be able to function as a church in America. How untrue and rather silly! Consider the prophet Elijah. He lived during the time of one of Israel's most wicked kings in history - Ahab (along with his wicked wife, Jezebel). Yes, Ahab and Jezebel hated God's people. Yes, Ahab and Jezebel made laws against God's people. Yes, they made it hard on the people of God during that time. Yes, they brought Israel under bondage of Baal, the false god. What was God's prophet Elijah doing at this time? He was performing miracles, praying fire down from heaven, raising the dead, stopping the rain, and even causing the rain! God Almighty worked powerfully during the reign of wicked Ahab. Yes, Ahab and Jezebel may move into the White House, but it does not weaken God's power. Where God's word is preached, it will always work - even when wickedness is reigning! While I believe in doing our part to elect the best men we can find to fill public offices; I am not waiting on any election to have a move of God. I am just living for God NOW; working for God NOW; preaching the gospel NOW; praying for people NOW; and God is working - NOW!

Good Works Get the Church Edified

This is my last blog post regarding the role of good works in the Christian walk. Note I Corinthians 12:13 - "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body..." The first point I wish to make clear is an important one; one that some professing Christians have not yet learned. When you become born again by the Spirit of God, the same Spirit that gives you power to become a son (or daughter) of God is the same Spirit that baptizes you into the body of Christ, which is the church. When a person is saved, they are not just SAVED FROM something, but they are SAVED TO something. Although it is an Old Testament verse, Deuteronomy 6:23 illustrates this very well - "And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in..." In that verse, the writer is speaking of the people of God being brought OUT OF Egypt and being brought INTO Canaan. It is a great picture of the New Testament teaching of people being brought OUT OF sin and INTO the church. Of course, when I refer to the church, I am not speaking of a denomination or an organization. I am not speaking of joining a specific church or group of people. I am referring to being baptized into the church of Jesus Christ by God's Spirit. I am not talking about filling out a card and having a clerk put your name in a church book. I am talking about you repenting of your sins, making Jesus Christ Lord of your life, and as a result, the angel keeping the book will write your name in the Lamb's book of life. So, as you can see, when you get saved, you are part of a body of believers. You are part of THE CHURCH. You are not your own; you are bought with a price. In order to help make us what we ought to be, Christ makes us part of His body on this earth - the church.

Some have not yet understood this. I heard a song sung in church a few months ago, and I couldn't stand it. It said, "Me and Jesus got our own thing goin'; We don't need nobody to tell us what it's all about." That's two lies. You and Jesus do not have your own thing going, and yes, you need someone to tell you what it's all about. We need the church. I need the prayers of the saints. I need to be preached to, and taught. I need to try to be a blessing to others who are trying to serve God. Those in the church need one another.

In various parts of the world, true Christianity is illegal. In China, true believers are meeting underground, risking imprisonment or even death, to assemble together. Why the great risk? They know better than us Americans that they need one another. They need to hear one another's testimonies. They need each other's prayers. They are willing to risk their freedom and life to get what they need to grow in the grace of God.

In America, however, professing Christians have freedom to go to church, and some of us will go one service a week, if we don't have a headache. If we're not too tired, we may go to prayer meeting. We'll even stay for the whole prayer meeting, as long as it's over before our television show comes on. America is so drunk on pleasure. Our society is being wrecked in front of us. Many of our leaders are trying to destroy our godly heritage. The Christian church is being mocked more and more in the public, and Christians are half-hearted as ever. If ever we need to be built up, or EDIFIED, it is in this wicked hour. The closer we get to the coming of the Lord, the less we get together and let the Spirit of God move among us. Hebrews 12:25 teaches us this: "Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." But the professing Christian in America sees no harm in forsaking the assembly of God's people. Those Christians who do not attend a strong, Bible believing church are the WEAKEST Christians that there are (generally speaking). They blame God when things do not go their way. They can't figure out why they have no victory. They can't understand why they can't seem to make ends meet. They never witness (they have little to witness about). Those who go to strong churches are stronger Christians.

In I Corinthians 12, Paul writes concerning the gifts of the Spirit, which are gifts that the Spirit of God gives to the church. I believe in all of them. I believe that all of them are for the church today. I believe many of them are misused, abused, and over-used, but I still believe in them. Paul explains in the 12th chapter of I Corinthians that we are part of a body, and in order to make the body as strong as it should be, gifts have been given. In chapter 12, Paul clearly names the gifts and explains their role in the church. In chapter 14, Paul gives clear rules for how to use the gifts of the Spirit in the local assembly. In the chapter between these two, chapter 13, Paul gives the proper ATTITUDE of anyone using any gift - that attitude is CHARITY, or love. I am not to use the gifts of the Spirit to display how spiritual I am. When I see a member of the body of Christ suffering, I am pray that the Lord help that person, and be willing for Him to use me to do so. This is where the gifts come in. Any good works wrought by the gifts of the Spirit are wrought to EDIFY, or build up, the church. Please note - I am speaking generally, not exhaustively.

In conclusion, I do not maintain good works to get me saved or keep me saved. I maintain good works to get Christ glorified, to get sinners justified, and to get the church edified. Titus 3:8 sums it up well- "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."