As a priest, I have dedicated my life to comprehending and interpreting the holy teachings in the Bible. Among the many themes in this revered book, the various types of judgments is a topic that has profoundly interested me.
The Bible, as we know, bears testimony to numerous judgments instituted by our God, who is intrinsically a God of justice. As referred in Psalm 45:6, “A scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” It is our Lord Jesus himself who is the judge to all on earth, as asserted in John 5:22, “The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.” It is only Him who has the worthiness to unroll the scroll (Revelation 5:5).
We find references of judgments which have transpired in the past. The judgment of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:14–24 is poignantly recorded. God expelled our first ancestors from the Garden of Eden for disobeying His explicit instruction to refrain from eating the forbidden fruit. This admonition influenced the entire creation.
The Bible also speaks about the judgment during the antediluvian age where God’s wrath fell upon mankind through a worldwide flood, sparing only Noah and his family due to their faith and obedience and the direct outcome of judgment witnessed through such instances like the Tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt and her gods, and the judgment upon believers’ sins (Isaiah 53:4–8).
Currently, in the church age, we have self-evaluation where believers engage in meticulous self-assessment of their spiritual state, and divine discipline, where the Lord gently corrects and aligns His followers when they sin. “When we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32) and “Whom Christ loves, he chastens” (Revelation 3:19) stand as solid foundations for these concepts.
The Bible also prophesizes several future judgments, some of which include the judgments of the tribulation period (Revelation 6—16), the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), the judgment of nations (Matthew 25:31–46), the judgment of angels (1 Corinthians 6:2–3), and the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11–15).
I think Bildad’s words in Job 8:3 epitomize the essence of divine judgment, “Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?” God does not pervert justice. His works are perfect and His ways unblemished, as stated in Deuteronomy 32:4. One of the pending tasks of the Holy Spirit is to establish the conviction of impending judgment (John 16:8–11).
As believers, we must recognize our sinful nature and our accountability before God. This knowledge should propel us towards our Savior and seek His mercy triumphing over judgment, as James 2:13 proclaims, in Christ. Thus, the scriptures about judgments synergize humanity and the divine, highlighting our responsibility, accountability, and dependence on God’s mercy.
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