Compelled By Reality

Coming Judgment

Filed under: Blogging, Christianity, End Times, IHOP

Most of the time when people think of judgment and more specifically “God’s judgment”, they think of something that is very scary, dark, end of the worldish, destruction, etc. For most of my life my view of Jesus coming and judging the earth was very similar, focusing on the negative aspects of judgment.

However, a judge is not a bad person or a mean, angry person. When we think of a judge in a court of law, he is not there in that court solely so that he can execute punishments. He doesn’t find fulfillment doling out punishments left and right, keeping the ever-so-creepy grin on his face while people receive the hard end of a hammer. The judge is there to make sure the law is upheld. If the law is upheld by a person then a judgment is administered in favor of that person. It is only when the law is broken that a judgment has negative consequences, and rightly so. It is completely right and just when someone who murders or rapes someone receives a negative judgment.

We have been studying, playing and singing through Psalm 50 (one of the 12 end-time Psalms of Asaph) with our worship team. It is so exciting and exhilarating to sing about the return of Jesus to earth to setup His kingdom in Zion and rule and reign on the earth with Him. Today we just went through Ps. 50:4-6 introducing the Judge and what will happen upon His return.

Psalm 50:3-6 - “3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. 4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: 5 ‘Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.’ 6 Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge.”

Judgments are rewards for the innocent and punishment for the guilty. When we come into a court of law and stand before the judge, if we are innocent and have evidence to prove our innocence, then the judge will give us a judgment in our favor. We will be glad to stand before the judge in that case. That is what we have before God. The covenant we have made with Jesus being the sacrificial lamb that paid the penalty for our sins is all the proof we need to stand boldly before the judge (with fear and trembling… it is the uncreated God we’re talking about here). But Jesus has given us a right standing with God and there are rewards that God will give to us when He returns (that is a whole ‘nother topic though, yet a great one).

2 Cor. 5:10 - “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

I am really looking forward to the time that I get to see Jesus coming with the clouds in the whirlwind of fire where every eye will see Him and know that He is God. I am passionately motivated to pray for those who don’t Him and am moved by the love and desire that God has for them, not to see them perish but to come into the kingdom. We have a kind, merciful God, a good just Judge.

Technorati Tags: judgment, judge, christianity, end-times, rewards, psalms, Jesus