The Day of Judgement, Part 1

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This might appear at first glance to be a rather ill-timed study to present here during this festive season (Christmas), but this is only because of the many false ideas held by the Lord’s professed people in regards to this Day, many of which were fostered during the dark ages. The truth is the Day of Judgement is not one of fear and terror, but a time of joy and of gladness. A proper understanding of just what exactly this Day consist of would greatly alleviate this fear held by so many. Now it may be that you yourself have little fear of this Day as you believe you will not come into this judgement, but nevertheless perhaps you are fearful for your friends and loved ones many of whom you believe unsaved. It is with these thoughts in mind that we present this study on the Day of Judgment, for:

GOD hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained” –“Jesus Christ, the righteous.” “For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” (Acts 17:31; 1 John 2:1; John 5:22)

“A very vague and indefinite (erroneous) idea prevails in regard to this Day. The view generally entertained is that at Christ’s Second Advent he will come to earth, seated upon a great white throne, and that he will summon both saint and sinner in rank and file before him to be judged, amidst great convulsions of nature –earthquakes, opening graves, rending rocks and falling mountains; that the trembling sinners (those who have already died) will be brought from the depths of everlasting woe to hear their sins rehearsed, only to be again returned to an eternal and merciless doom; and that the saints will be brought from heaven to witness the misery and despair of the condemned, to hear again the decision in their own cases, and to return once again to heaven.

According to the prevailing theory, all receive their sentence and reward at death; and this, which by way of distinction is commonly called the general judgment, is merely a repetition of that first judgment, but for no conceivable purpose, since they claim that a decision which is final and unalterable is rendered at death.

This theory is usually supported erroneously, based upon a misinterpretation of Heb 9:27:

And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this [comes] judgment.” (A.S.V.)

However if one had taken sufficient time to consider the whole context of the argument the Apostle was trying to make, then they would have realized that themenfor whom he was speaking in the text referred to the various High Priest of Israel, that he was attempting to give a lesson on TYPE AND ANTITYPE. He was comparing the work of the Jewish priests every year with the work of Christ, and telling how these earthly priests went into the Holy, and afterwards into the Most Holy… In the type the Jewish high priest went into the Most Holy of the Tabernacle, not without blood. That blood, in every case, represented the blood of the high priest--his life. Every high priest, when he passed under that veil on the Day of Atonement, was in danger of being stricken dead. If he had not done perfectly, according to the requirements of the Lord, he would have died as he attempted to pass that veil, under that curtain. And so (in the antitype) it would have meant the death to Jesus (the true or real High Priest) if He had not done perfectly the will of the Father.

Then the Apostle declares, "It is appointed unto men [men-priests--get the thought] once to die [typically, in passing under the veil] and after that the judgment," or decision.

They (the typical High Priest) typified their death in the sacrifice of the bullock (once to die typically), and carrying its blood under the veil. If the priest had not done it perfectly, he died. The bullock represented the priest. After he had sacrificed it he passed with its blood under the second veil. "After death (his typical death) the judgment (as to whether or not he had fulfilled all the requirements perfectly)." There is no reference here to the death of mankind, but merely to these priests offering their sacrifice.” (R 5731)

“Likewise it would be totally unreasonable to suppose that the Apostle had suddenly dropped the topic of his discourse respecting Christ as the antitypical High Priest, in contrast with earthly priests, and to suppose that here he now refers to mankind in general, out of all relationship to his subject.” (R2823)

The entire time supposed to be assigned to this stupendous work of judging billions is a twenty-four hour day. A discourse recently delivered to a Brooklyn congregation voiced the general view on this subject. It affected to give a detailed account of the work of the Day of Judgment, representing it as completed within the limits of a single literal day.

This is a very crude conception, and is entirely out of harmony with the inspired Word. It is drawn from a too literal interpretation of our Lord's Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. (Matt. 25:31-46) It illustrates the absurdity of attempting to force a literal interpretation upon figurative language.

A parable is never an exact statement, but merely an illustration of a truth by something, which is in many respects like it. If this parable were a literal statement of the manner in which the judgment will be conducted, it would apply to literal sheep and goats, just as it reads, and not to mankind at all. Let us now look at a more Scriptural as well as a more reasonable view of the work and the result of the great Judgment Day which God hath appointed, with which reasonable and Scriptural conclusions all parables and figures should and do agree.

The term judgment signifies more than simply the rendering of a verdict. It includes the idea of a trial, as well as a decision based upon that trial. And this is true not only of the English word judgment, but also of the Greek word, which it translates. (A 137-138)

We will elaborate a bit more on this in our next post.

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