What Is The Day Of Judgement?
It's not as bad as it's made out to be...
This is the Fourth post from Chapter 9 of Friends With God: Life After Death, in which we are exploring what God tells us about the various things that may happen to us when we die.
The Judgement Of The Second Resurrection
As we have seen in the previous posts, there are two resurrections, and also two deaths, but the second death does not affect those who are in the first resurrection, and have their names written in the "Book of Life”.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. … for we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.
For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Rom 14:9-12)
What is this judgement period, in which we stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ and give an account of ourselves to God?
Peter sheds some light on it when explaining what happens to those who are alive today in the Church (which he calls the House of God):
For the time has come for judgement to begin at the House of God. (1Peter 4:17)
As explained in the first post in this series, there are at least eight different words rendered judgement in scripture, and it is often worth finding out which word we are reading in order to clarify what exactly is being spoken about.
Peter in this verse used the word Krima which means “a decision is being made” and “to go to law about an issue”, and it can also mean “condemnation”. It obviously does not mean condemnation, as it is a process that just begins with the Church, so that every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Judgement in this context is a decision-making process. So if decision-making is to begin with the church now, while we are in this life, how long does it last? It lasts all our lives; for as Christians we are to grow and overcome and endure to the end. (1John 5:4-5, Rev 2:1-27, Rev 3:1-21, Rev 21:7)
Not Willing That Any Should Perish
We constantly stumble and yet grow and change in the process of overcoming sin in our lives. This is the process we go through. It is not an easy process, but God is patient with us:
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering toward us,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
(2Peter 3:9)
Reaching repentance, overcoming sin, and growing in understanding in our lives is a long process. As God does not wish that any should perish, he needs to give all of those in the second resurrection sufficient time to change, in the same way he has given us plenty of time to choose to obey God, or to reject His calling.
Why should those people who are raised from being dead in the second resurrection have less of an opportunity to understand God than we have had during our lifetime?
While nothing is stated in scripture as to how long this judgement period is, for those in the second resurrection it would seem reasonable to assume that they would also get the same chance as those called in this life have.
It therefore seems that the time of Judgement in the second resurrection is an extended period of time, when all those who have never known God will have the opportunity to live out their lives, just as we who have been called by God today also now have all our lives to be judged and to overcome.
It would therefore be necessary that they be given the Holy Spirit upon repentance, and have the time to produce the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit in their lives, in the same way as we do. If they do this, then their names will be added to the “Book of Life”.
This seems to be why the Book of Life is opened at the second resurrection- to add names to it from those who have overcome and accepted the calling of God during this second life.
The very name “Book of Life” illustrates God’s great love for mankind. He wants to share His righteousness with as many as will receive it, and give them eternal life in His family. It is not called the book of death and condemnation.
Choose Life
There is just one big choice we must make in our lives: we must choose to believe God, or to believe Satan. As discussed in the previous post, Satan told Adam and Eve the first lie about eternal life- and we are still being judged today if we will believe it or not!
God wants us to receive eternal life as his Children. Satan wants us all dead. He opposes everything that God wants to do. He lies about God and is intent on destroying us and all of God’s creation.
He is a liar and a murderer. If we choose to believe his lie, we will die.
Moses put it very clearly when he told Israel that God has put before them life and death:
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.
Therefore choose life,
that you and your offspring may live,
loving the LORD your God,
obeying his voice and holding fast to him,
for he is your life and length of days…
(Deut 30:19-20)
When Peter said that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, he gave us the same choice- to perish is to die forever, but repentance is to turn toward God and be granted eternal life.
As shown in the previous post, those who don’t obey God in this second resurrection will not have their names written in the Book of Life.
At the end of their lives they will die eternally, by being thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:13-15)
They will cease to exist.
They will not be alive in Hell.
They will be no more.
This thought of “not existing at all” seems to greatly bother some people- so much so that they would prefer to believe in the idea of living forever in some kind of imaginary Hell, rather than the clear Biblical explanation of not existing!
Yet God is not interested in tormenting a ‘soul’, as some kind of futile cruel vengeance. The Bible tells us that God will mercifully destroy all those who don’t want to live his way of love- for living any other way is full of pain and suffering, as we can see from the world around us.
Hell Is Not Always The Same Place
Jesus clearly told us that the soul can die forever:
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. "(Matt 10:28)
The Greek word "hell" in this verse is "Gehanna" which was an actual valley just outside Jerusalem where rubbish was burned. This is used by Jesus as a metaphor for the Lake of fire, as explained in this post from Chapter 4.
Jesus is saying, we should not fear any person who can kill our bodies, but we should fear God for he can destroy us permanently in the second death, in the Lake of Fire, which happens after the second resurrection. And at this time Hell itself is cast into the Lake of Fire:
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
(Rev 20:14)
Both death and hell are going to be destroyed by the Lake of Fire!
The word "hell" in this verse is the word "hades" which simply means the grave. By saying "death and hell were cast into the lake of fire." he is saying that there will be no more death, and nobody will die and be buried any more in a grave. The reason for this is simple, anybody who is alive will be an immortal Son of God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away.
(Rev 21:4)
Salvation And Judgement Summary
Reviewing what has been stated so far in this series of posts, we see that while Paul talks about the unrighteous receiving anger and wrath from God (Rom 2:1-11), Jesus tells us that this anger and wrath for the wicked will not be put on them in this life, but it will happen at the resurrection of the dead.
Jesus also tells us of two resurrections; one to life, and one to judgement- which is translated as “damnation” in the King James Version. (John 5:28-29)
We have seen that these two resurrections are for two different groups of people; the righteous and the unrighteous. Not much detail is provided in scripture about these two resurrections, until chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation, and even then, it’s just an outline of events.
Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!
Over such the second death has no power,
but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
(Rev 20:6)
Despite this minimal amount of information, there are some significant things we can know from what is revealed.
We are told that those in the first resurrection are given eternal spiritual life at the return of Christ, and those in the second resurrection are given another go at mortal physical life. (Rev 20:4-6, Rev 20:11-13)
The purpose of being given immortal spiritual life in the first resurrection is to live and reign with Christ forever. The purpose of the second resurrection to physical life, is for people to be judged if they are worthy of having their names put into the ‘Book of Life’- so they too would be granted eternal life. (Rev 20:14-15)
They will be judged to be worthy in the same way that we are judged in this life:
Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (Col 1:8-10)
If they are not granted eternal life, then they will die forever, which is what happens to all mortal beings thrown into the lake of fire.
The purpose of the second resurrection, to physical life, is to give people who have not had a chance to know God’s way of life the opportunity to do so.
It seems that they too will then go through a similar judgement period, a life-long process of conversion, as those who were in the first resurrection had in this life. If they are judged worthy to have their names written in the Book of Life, then they too will be granted the gift of immortal spiritual life.
The Process Of Judgement For Those Who Don’t Obey
Judgement is a process, not a one-off event. Those who are called by God today, are now living in their day of judgement, but what about those who don’t obey their calling today?:
For it is time for judgement to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey (wilfully disobey) the gospel of God?
(1Peter 4:17)
Peter does not answer his question here, it’s more of a rhetorical question. But as there is a second resurrection to judgement, then the time for those who are called now, but reject God, would presumably be in the second resurrection, where all who have ever lived will be judged. (2Cor 5:10)
In addition, Paul tells us that, for those of us who are called during this life, now is also our day of salvation:
… Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2Cor 6:2)
As discussed in this previous post, we are saved from living the way of death during our physical life, and are granted the Spirit to understand how to live the way of life- such that even now we do have eternal life in us:
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life;
and I will raise him up at the last day.
(John 6:53-54)
While living our life out today we are being judged by the fruits of the Spirit we produce. Such fruits will determine if we are worthy of being granted eternal life or not. (Matt 24:36-51, 25:1-36)
So, for those of us called by God today, we are living in both our day of judgement and our day of salvation.
The same process will happen for those in the second resurrection to physical life. For 2 Corinthians 6:2 does not say “this is the only day of salvation”. Moreover, as the word “the” is not in the original, it could also be read as “this is a day of salvation”.
Therefore, the process of Salvation and Judgement is the same for those who are called now in this age, or those called later in the second resurrection.
All people called by God, are given the opportunity to be saved from death, which is living the way of Satan, in order to be given the chance of living God’s way of life, and being judged by him to be worthy to gain eternal life.
Worthy To Gain Eternal Life
Those in the second resurrection will be physically alive again, and thus will actually have been saved from being physically dead. That time then will be their day of salvation.
They will then be given God’s Spirit and be judged to determine if they are worthy of being granted eternal life or not, as we are similarly judged today. (Matt 10:37-38, Luke 3:8, Luke 20:35-36, Eph 4:1, Col 1:10, 1Thes 2:12) We must overcome the world, the flesh and the devil in order to be worthy to be granted eternal life! (REF)
Fortunately, for those in the Second Resurrection, they won’t have Satan around to deceive and tempt them, as we are told that he will be disposed of before the second resurrection occurs. (Rev 20:7-10) Even so, during their first life they will have been deceived by Satan in many different ways. They will need to overcome these habits and wrong ideas when living again after the second resurrection. They will be given the opportunity to discern between good and evil and to choose good and reject evil.
Therefore, we need not worry that any unsaved dead loved ones are burning in hell. They are (as was discussed in detail the previous post) all asleep, awaiting the judgement to physical life, when they will be living in a world without Satan.
At that great time, they will all be called by God, and given the Holy Spirit, so they will have the chance to live the way that leads to eternal life.
While this will be a second chance at physical life, for most people it won’t be a second chance to know God, for they were never called by God to understand his truth in their first life. They were ignorant of their sin, as they did not have the Spirit to open their minds to comprehend their sin.
We Must Obey The Gospel Of God
For those who were called by God, but rejected it, then it will be up to God to determine if they actually did understand his truth or not. (Rom 14:9-12, Rev 20:11-12) As Peter says: what will be the outcome for those who do not obey (wilfully disobey) the gospel of God?
We are often warned not to reject our calling. (Heb 2:3-6, 6:4-6, 10:26-31, 12:25-29, 2Peter 2:20-22) But such warnings still seem to leave those who now, in this life, reject God’s way of life to also be destined to be in the future and second resurrection to judgement:
For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive (due recompense for) the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad. (2Cor 5:10)
Those who come up in the second resurrection, and then reject the opportunity to live God’s way of life, will die a second time in the lake of fire, destroying both their body and their soul. (Matt 10:28, Rev 21:7-8)
Only those whom God judges as totally loving his way of life, will be living as immortal spiritual beings:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and (love) your neighbour as yourself”. … if you do this you shall live.
(Luke 10:25-30)
Those who don’t love God and their neighbour will be gone. Once they are dead, they won’t be suffering. They simply won’t exist. And they also won’t be causing suffering to anyone else either… for the former things are passed away. (Rev 21:4)
They will have been given their chance to choose life, just as you have yours now. We don’t need to worry about them.
In the next post in this series we will examine what living eternally will be like!