Judgment Day

“You’re going to Vegas!” And with those words some of America’s most talented citizens move on to the next round.

It’s all pretty subjective, isn’t it? If the three judges like your act, if they’re swayed enough by the audience’s engagement and if you’ve got the style to go along with your skills, then you’re on to Vegas.

I suppose it’s the same with sports like diving, gymnastics and ice skating. Sure the judges are trained. Most are former superstars in their field. But still they’re human. Preferences creep in and weigh into their decisions. It’s subjective.

And don’t even get me started about the college football polls!

Personally I like competitions where the numbers decide the winners. Like the guy who eats the most hotdogs in 10 minutes wins. The team that scores the most points wins. The person who answers all the questions correctly gets to be a millionaire. The driver who crosses the finish line first drinks the milk. There’s no human judge factor there. You don’t walk away saying the judging is unfair.

Listen, do you realize there will be a day of ultimate judgment for every person that’s ever walked the face of this earth? And there will be a Judge, all right, and His judgment will be right and true. There will be no crying foul. None can offer any defense against His verdict. The perfection of His justice will be clear to everyone.

The Bible speaks about two different judgments. One will be at the point where unrepentant sinners will be judged to eternal condemnation in the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12ff. says, “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…If anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Please don’t blame God or think Him unkind for judging justly. God has gone to the utter extremes to show His love and salvation to mankind. He has revealed His glory, His power and divine nature in the world that He’s created, so men are without excuse. He has given to mankind His written word, the Bible, by which we might know Him and be saved. He has given us His final Word, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. He put His love for you on display when He sent His Son into this world to die on the cross for sinners.

This judgment is simple. “Whoever believes in him [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil” (John 3:18-19). There’s no subjective bias at all here. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

If you’re not sure where you stand, then you’d better be quick to find out – and come to Christ!

Then there’s the “judgment seat of Christ” judgment day. Standing here will be those who have been called by God, repented of their sins and believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. This is where Christians will appear, “that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). This is the judgment where “each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:13-15).

Christian, that ought to highly motivate you to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ Jesus! It’s not your works that will save you, but your works will be judged, and those works give evidence of your faith. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).

That Day is drawing near. May we be ready.