A Time Of Terror Or Comfort


God is just, hates sin, and, therefore, He must punish every deviation from His standard of moral perfection (Gal 3:10; Jas 2:10). All humans and the fallen angels will be given their just punishment but humans who believe in Christ have been forgiven and will be given a gracious reward for their faith-inspired deeds of loving loyalty to Him (Rev 20:11-15; Rom 14:10-12). The Lord Jesus Christ will be the Judge (Jn 5:27).

What will the Lord judge about us at The Final Judgment? Our motives (Prov 16:2) and thoughts (Mt 5:28) will be judged. In addition, God will judge our deeds (Rom 2:6), conscience (Rom 1:18-21), and words (Mt 12:36-37). This will cover our entire life up until death (2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27).

What are the results of The Final Judgment? Those who have trusted Christ to forgive them for their wrongdoing, having already been given eternal life (Jn 3:16; 5:24) and can never be condemned (Rom 8:1). They are judged to determine the amount of reward they will receive (1 Cor 3:11-15; 15:41-42). Those who rejected Christ in this life will be punished, to varying degrees based on the revelation of God’s will they had (Lk 12:47-48). In the traditional view, this punishment will be conscious torment that is eternal. On the other hand, it does seem possible to believe there is suitable conscious punishment followed by destruction that is eternal in its effects (i.e. they will be punished and then destroyed, never to become alive again). See 2 Thess 1:9 as just one example. I cannot confidently advocate either view but would prefer the latter to be true.

The Final Judgment should motivate us to avoid sin (2 Pet 3:7-14). It should comfort us in our suffering (2 Pet 3:13) and help us to accept God’s forgiveness that is offered through Christ (Jn 3:16; 14:6).



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