Chapter 16
Judgment of All
Greek Words for Judge, Judgment
In the Greek, the root word for judge is the verb krin (G2919), meaning "to judge, decide; that
is, act as judge." According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, from krin comes krisis
(G2920), meaning "a decision, judgment"; krima (G2917), meaning "a judgment"; kritikos
(G2924), meaning "critical: - able to judge"; krits (G2923), meaning "a judge"; kritrion
(G2922), meaning "a law court"; and diakrin (G1252), meaning "to distinguish, to judge, to
discern, to make distinctions."
You might note the similarity to our English words crisis, crime, critical, and criteria.
As expected, these words are translated into a variety of words, depending on the
interpretative bias of the translators. Those with a biblical view of the lost being tortured in
man's eternal toaster called hell might use words such as damnation and condemnation, to
imply that all is lost in judgment. For example, the King James Version (KJV) quotes Jesus in
Matthew 23:33: "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of
hell?" A more literal rendering of His words is: "Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape
from the judgment of the gehenna?" (Young's Literal Translation [YLT]).
The KJV places a bias in Jesus' words that there is no hope whatsoever for the Pharisees. By the
way, this has carried over to much Christian teaching of our day regarding the lost.
The English definition of damnation is "condemnation to endless punishment, as in hell."
On the other hand, the YLT simply implies a decision is made or formed that results in gehenna,
which, in that day, was capital punishment, meaning death and never eternal torture. This is
taken up in Chapter 18.
As with most biases, the subject gets skewed in a certain direction. The KJV skews it in the
direction of no hope whatsoever. The YLT leaves it more open, for the use of the word
judgment does not qualify the judgment; it is left to the word gehenna. In other words,
gehenna defines the judgment and leaves the word judgment more neutral. After all, inherent
in the word judgment is a sentence or determination that could range from a light (e.g., few
stripes) to a severe (e.g., many stripes) sentence, or to no sentence at all. Further, the word
judgment does not define the length of time of the sentence.
Another bias toward damnation in the KJV is discovered in John 5:29 where it refers to the
resurrection of damnation. Applying the various meanings of the word judgment, it could more
accurately be called the resurrection of crisis, of judgment, or of turning. It implies a point of
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decision, a crisis point in one's life. When a judgment comes, a decision comes forth for or
against, and this, in turn, brings about a turning point. According to God's judgment, when a
judgment is favorable, it results in reward; when it is unfavorable, it results in loss, but not
torture.
Simply, judgment means "to decide, govern, decree, form an opinion, hear, discern, and settle a
controversy." Keep in mind; the word judgment does not imply outcome. The context of the
judgment indicates the outcome, but, from God's perspective, it is always based on His Divine
Law, not on some capricious law set by man.
All Judged
The idea that all will be judged is according to Scripture. The most direct verse on the matter is
found in Hebrews.
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment [krisis] ....
(Hebrews 9:27 NASB)
As a side note, some insist that this means man only has one chance to be saved. Once he dies,
the die has been cast, so to speak. In other words, death is the deadline for conversion. Truly,
the Great White Throne Judgment comes after death, but nothing in this verse tells us that one
has no opportunity to repent and be converted when he is raised up from the dead in the
general resurrection.
Further, all men will not die, for those who are alive and remain when the Lord comes to meet
them in air will not die; rather, they will be transfigured into the likeness of the Son of God. Paul
makes this point in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51.
Back to the point; there is another Greek word that comes into play, bema.
According to Vine's Expository Dictionary, the bema is "primarily, a step, a pace (akin to baino,
to go), as in Acts 7:5, translated "to set (his foot) on," lit. 'foot-room,' was used to denote a
raised place or platform, reached by steps, originally that at Athens in the Pnyx Hill, where was
the place of assembly; from the platform orations were made. The word became used for a
tribune, two of which were provided in the law-courts of Greece, one for the accuser and one
for the defendant; it was applied to the tribunal of a Roman magistrate or ruler."
Thus, bema is related to a judicial process, as in a court of law or before a judge who must
decide a case brought to him. The most profound and illegitimate judicial proceeding in the
history of man was when Jesus stood before the judgment seat of Pilate.
While he was sitting on the judgment seat [bema], his wife sent him a message, saying, "Have
nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of
Him." (Matthew 27:19 NASB)
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In another account, King Herod was on a judgment seat the day an angel struck him dead. Most
translations use other words, such as throne, rostrum, or tribunal, but the Greek word is bema.
And on an appointed day Herod, clothing himself with royal apparel, and sitting on the
judgment seat [bema], was delivering an address to them. (Acts 12:21 EMTV)
Of course, these were earthly judgment seats with carnal men sitting upon them. However,
Paul adds another dimension to the bema.
But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with
contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat [bema] of God. (Romans 14:10
NASB)
For we must all appear before the judgment seat [bema] of Christ, so that each one may be
recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
(2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB)
Early in my Christian education, I was taught that the bema was exclusively for the Lord's
people and that it represents a personal encounter of judgment between the Lord Jesus and His
saints. In other words, the bema is strictly for believers.
Given what I know today, I am not so sure that this is the proper understanding of the
judgment seat.
To the Corinthians, Paul wrote: If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he
himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15 NASB). Surely, Paul was
speaking to believers and warning them that some believers will face the fiery judgment of
God, which refers to the fiery law of God, represented by the lake of fire, that will come forth
from the Great White Throne Judgment.
(11) Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth
and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. (12) And I saw the dead, the great
and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was
opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged [krino] from the things which
were written in the books, according to their deeds. (Revelation 20:11-12 NASB)
The words work and deeds come from the same Greek word ergon, so we know that judgment
by fire, the fiery law of God, is of ergon or works, not of man's physical body.
In his Patmos vision, John also made it clear that only a remnant of conquerors will participate
in the first resurrection to reign with Christ for 1,000 years. They will have no part in the second
death, which is the death of works by the fiery law of God. The rest of the dead will not come to
life until after the 1,000 years.
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(4) Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the
souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of
the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not
received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned
with Christ for a thousand years. (5) The rest of the dead did not come to life until the
thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:4-5 NASB)
Only the conquering believers will rise up in the first resurrection. They will be given thrones to
make judgments. The rest of the believers, along with the unbelievers, will be raised up on the
last day to appear before the Great White Throne for judgment of works. Believers whose
names are in the Book of Life will suffer loss, saved, yet so as through fire, experiencing some
facet of the second death of works (Revelation 2:11,) but will receive the promise of immortal
life and will enter into the Kingdom, representative of New Jerusalem.
The thought of believers rising in the second resurrection, not the first one, and facing the
Great White Throne Judgment is not mainstream thinking among believers. However, consider
what Jesus taught.
(45) "But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins
to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; (46) the master
of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not
know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:45-46
NASB)
Where is the place assigned with the unbelievers? Could it be the Great White Throne
Judgment? Again, saved, yet so as through fire.
The point is that, however one views it, all mankind is destined for the judgment of God,
whether it is called a bema or the Great White Throne. All must stand before the Judge of all.
However, I have wondered, perhaps even now believe, that conquerors will not be judged at
the first resurrection in the sense of good or bad works, for their judgment will have occurred
during their life in mortal bodies. This seems most evident in Revelation 20:4-6. In a sense, they
will have paid their dues, so to speak. Also, I think of Paul at the end of his life.
(7) I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. (8) For the
rest, the crown of righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
give to me in that Day, and not only to me, but also to all the ones loving His appearance [to
everyone who is eagerly waiting for him to come again]. (2 Timothy 4:7-8 LITV [GW])
At any rate, one thing we can be absolutely sure of is that the Judge of all will judge righteously,
impartially, equitably, and justly. Abraham knew this truth.
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"Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the
righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the
earth deal justly?" (Genesis 18:25 NASB)
Judgment Proportional to the Crime
Probably, one of the most difficult aspects of explaining the judgment of God is the sentence or
outcome of His judgments. It is not difficult from the perspective of the law of God. It is difficult
because of the tradition of men (Mark 7:8) that has been taught to so many to the point that,
again, it has become part of the systematizing of the deception (Ephesians 4:14 CV) about
which Paul warns the ecclesia.
The problem comes from the pagan view of hell held by so many believers and the world, for
that matter. Rather than confronting man's hell, let us look at God's law and His judgments, for
if we understand this, we will see the outright lie and deception of the hell that man has
created in his own image and assigned to a loving and just God who loves the world.
The key to understanding the outcome of judgment is in what Paul tells us: For the wages of sin
is death (Romans 6:23).
Under the divine law of God given to Moses, the worst penalty for sin or disobedience was
death, usually by stoning. Some sins resulted in the dead body being burned (Joshua 7:25),
which Jesus referred to as the gehenna of fire (Matthew 5:22 YLT).
Now, if the penalty for sin is death, why is it that so many preachers today tell us that the
wages of sin is torture forever and ever and ever in a place of literal fire and worms called
hell? Is this not worse than death? What makes it even worse is we are told that sinners of all
kinds will be cast into this torturous hell-hole that is more horrific than anything the terrorists
of our day could conjure up. Included in this group are sinners that were never given the
opportunity to hear of Jesus. To make it even more grotesque, many say God is love but in His
love He must judge by casting them into this existence of never-ending torture.
Ask yourself: Where in Scripture does it ever say that a sinner must be tortured forever for his
or her sins? If the divine law of God never demanded it, why do we think it will emanate out of
the Great White Throne Judgment?
Here is something else to contemplate: If man's concept of hell is true, then where is Jesus
today? As the teaching goes, hell is eternal. But wait a minute. Jesus paid the penalty for the
sin of the world. If He paid the penalty and if the penalty is an eternal existence of torture,
then does it not follow that He is still there suffering for us endlessly? Do you see the slippery
slope that has been created by man's concept of a hell?
Now, here is the real kicker. If Jesus paid the maximum penalty for the sin of the whole world
(all of mankind) by dying on a cross and then He was raised up from among the dead to live
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forevermore, how is it that one individual cast into hell will end up paying far more for his
own sin than Jesus paid for all sin?
The law of God given to Moses demanded an "eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth," meaning
there was a just payment for crimes committed against one another. Further, the law of
restitution (Exodus 21-23) makes it very clear that God's righteous law demands that things be
made right. Consider Jesus' word on the matter.
"Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent."
(Matthew 5:26 NASB)
(47) "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his
will, will receive many lashes, (48) but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds
worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much
will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more." (Luke
12:47-48 NASB)
"A flogging," "many lashes," "few lashes," and "last cent" all speak of a limited outcome
resulting from judgment. For some, it will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and outer darkness
that will be a death to the soul-life of their carnal man.
The purpose or goal of God's judgment is restitution, chastening, and correction, not torture,
and, through this process, one learns the righteousness and love of God.
For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines and He scourges every son whom He receives
(Hebrews 12:6), for God so loves the world (John 3:16).
This leads to the matter of eternal judgment.
Eonian Chastisement
(41) Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire,
the age-during [age-abiding, fire eonian, Fire of the Ages], that hath been prepared for the
Devil and his messengers; ... (46) 'And these shall go away to punishment age-during [age-
abiding correction] [eonian chastening], but the righteous to life age-during [Life of the Ages]'
(Matthew 25:41, 46 YLT [REB, CV, WNT])
The judgment of God is eonian or age-during, meaning it is limited in duration, not eternal or
endless. This is a vital key to understanding the lake of fire.
The root word from which the word punishment is derived carries the meaning of chastisement
for the purpose of correction, not torture. Granted there might be some, perhaps much,
torment in it, but it is not torture and it is not endless. There is a limit to the chastisement. The
reason it is eonian is because only God knows how long it will last, for the punishment always
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fits the crime. But be assured, it will come to an end when the demand of God's law is fulfilled
or at Creation's Grand Jubilee when all debt is cancelled.
Dealing with sin and dying to self (death of soul life) is the life of a conqueror while in a mortal
body, but for the majority of mankind and even some believers, the Great White Throne
Judgment will have to deal with these unsettled matters. This is why there is a final judgment in
the first place. Simply, some matters cannot and will not be settled in this life, such as unbelief
and murder, and only God can resolve them through His loving discipline. This is why it is better
to believe in this age, to die to self, to forgive all debts, and to owe nothing to anyone except to
love one another (Romans 13:8).
Further, the final judgment of mankind is designed to restore harmony, to reconcile the entire
creation of God, and to bring all things back to God's lawful order. To this end, all judgment is
designed to correct and to deal with all unsettled injustices. God's judgments are remedial and
aimed at the correction and turning back to Him of all His children. Even His wrath is designed
to remove the dross from a sinner's life, restoring and refining them by fire, which is His fiery
law.
To quote Stephen Jones (God's Kingdom Ministries): "The judgments of God come from His
nature. God is love. His love does not prevent Him from judgment, but the wisdom of God
knows how to judge in such a way that He loses nothing. God is able to save to the uttermost.
He has the Power to do so, He has the motive of Love, and He has the wisdom to know HOW to
do it while being true to Himself and His character." Amen.
Wrath of God
What about the wrath of God? Isn't God so angry at sinners that He is determined to torment
them forever? No! We must not look at the wrath of God in the same light as the wrath of man.
In his rage, man often seeks to destroy and to get even. God's wrath has no such quality. His
wrath is judicial and corrective.
It is true that no one is able to stand in the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:16-17), but what
does this mean?
First of all, His wrath is not eternal, for when the seventh angel pours out the bowl of wrath,
the pronouncement goes forth: "It is done" (Revelation 16:17).
Second, and most importantly, God's wrath is driven by the passion of love. Consider what
Elwin R. Roach in his online posting Hell & the Lake of Fire has to say about the word wrath in
light of "Christ's blazing passion and unwavering strength."
"The most common word used by the King James Bible that relates to such passion is
"WRATH." Wrath, however, does not convey the best thought for the Greek word, which
is "ORGE." ... Strong's Exhaustive Concordance tells us that ORGE means: "desire, (as a
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reaching forth or excitement of the mind), i.e. (by analogy) violent passion...." If we
follow the word to its derivatives we see it is akin to "airo." This word implies a
deliverance from sin, and is comparable to "ornis," which means "a bird (as rising in the
air)."
It is active. It reaches out and accomplishes the burning desire of the soul, whatever it
may be. The passion (orge/wrath) we see in the scriptures is usually in the context of
heated determination.
Wrath in the Biblical sense is not a condition of rage, as the word implies in the English,
but is generally associated with adamant punishment toward those in rebellion; yet it
does not end with punishment alone. We see that it ends in deliverance, especially at the
judgment of the Last Death, the Lake of Fire.
The passion of Christ, the wrath of the Lamb, is no doubt grievous to the carnal man, for it
means the end of his lustful, self-indulging life. It is similar to a father's wrath when he
punishes his rebellious son. It is not enjoyable to either of the two, yet it is done with
understanding and in love, knowing the pain is but for a season and very necessary for
the spirit of rebellion to be broken. This is in all of God's judgments toward His fallen
creation."
Obviously, there is much that could be and needs to be said about God's judgment, but these
few thoughts are presented at this time to begin defusing some of the mischaracterizations of
our God who is love and full of mercy.
By Your Standard of Measure
Jesus warns us to be careful about judging others. I have heard it said that because of His
exhortation, we are not to judge anything in this life. But is this what He means?
(1) "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. (2) "For in the way you judge, you will be
judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. (3) "Why do you look at
the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? (4)
"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the
log is in your own eye? (5) "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then
you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5 NASB)
In these verses, the word for judge comes from the Greek word krin. Jesus is not telling us not
to judge. What He is telling us is not to judge by our own standard or, if you will, by man's
carnal law.
We are to judge ourselves not by man's law but by God's divine law, and when we do, we will
see what needs to be dealt with in our own life first and foremost. Only after we deal with our
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logs are we to help anyone else with their logs. But the key to this judging is God's law, not
man's law.
What value is it to measure by our own standard anyway? Do we, according to our own flesh,
know how to judge properly? Hardly! We desperately need to know God's divine law.
Now, here is a question for those who judge the lost or the unbeliever by telling them, in death,
they are going to an existence of eternal torture that has been created according to man's
standard: Do you want the Judge of All to judge you according to this standard? If this is your
standard of judgment, according to Jesus, He will judge you on this standard. Sobering, isn't it?
This alone should cause us to stay away from the modern-day concept of hell. Isn't it far more
important to exemplify the love of God in word and deed than to try to scare people into
believing?
There is nothing about hell that speaks of God's love for the world. God's chastening may be
painful to the soul for some, perhaps many; it is not designed to kill them but to heal them and
restore them to be all that they were made to be, in the image of Elohim.
If God does not do this for all mankind, without exception, then He cannot and will not be All in
all.
Saints Shall Judge
In closing, consider Paul's word to the Corinthians about the saints judging or discerning the
world and the angels in the age(s) to come.
(2) Have ye not known that the saints shall judge [krin] the world? and if by you the world is
judged [krin], are ye unworthy of the smaller judgments [law courts] [kritrion]? (3) have ye
not known that we shall judge [krin] messengers? why not then the things of life? (4) of the
things of life, indeed, then, if ye may have judgment [law courts] [kritrion], those despised in
the assembly--these cause ye to sit; (5) unto your shame I speak: so there is not among you
one wise man, not even one, who shall be able to discern [judge] [diakrin] in the midst of his
brethren! (1 Corinthians 6:2-5 YLT)
Who will judge the world? Who will judge the messengers or angels? The saints will judge
them.
In these verses, Paul uses two similar words, krin and diakrin. The latter word means "to
discern." By extension, it could be said that judging is discerning. But, for what purpose? It is
for discerning the matter at hand in order to make correct judgments that lead to righteous
conclusions.
Where and when do you think the discerning judgment of the saints is going to take place?
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First, the immortal, glorified conquerors of Christ will do it throughout the Age that is coming as
they sit upon the throne of Christ in His Kingdom, meaning as they are reigning with Christ
(Revelation 3:21).
Second, the conquerors will be the judges at the Great White Throne Judgment. Paul called the
ecclesia, which is the Body of Christ, the Complement of Christ, meaning the Body is His
likeness and will join Him as He sums up or heads up all things in heaven and on earth
(Ephesians 1:10, 22-23).
Third, this is the reason the law of God must be written on our hearts and in our minds. Only
through God's law do we know righteousness, as well as unrighteousness, and how to judge
others.
"FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE
DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON
THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE." (Hebrews 8:10
NASB)
Moses prophesied of this truth.
(2) And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth
from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a
fiery law for them. (3) Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat
down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. (Deuteronomy 33:2-3 KJV)
Notice that the saints are in His right hand, and going forth from His right hand is the fiery law
of God. In other words, the fiery law will be written on the hearts of His saints, and they will go
forth discerning the world and the angels for the purpose of subjecting all things unto Christ.
This is an amazing truth. Don't you think it is about time for God's people to know His heart on
the matter of judgment in light of His ultimate purpose?
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