11.01 Just What Do You Mean ...

11 - The Judgment; Section 1 The Savior of the World Series by J. Preston Eby 11. THE JUDGMENT Just What Do You Mean ... THE JUDGMENT! WHEN we come to this thought of God’s judgment we approach a subject upon which there has been a fathomless sea of ignorance and misunderstanding. Contrary to the popular opinions of the religious systems there is no such thing as a GENERAL JUDGMENT for all men. Such a doctrine is pagan in origin and flows from the philosophies of demons. The idea that there is in the future one particular time and circumstance in which all creatures, whether celestial or terrestrial, shall be brought before the bar of Divine Justice is contrary to the Word of God. The view generally entertained is of Christ coming to earth, seated upon a great white throne, and that He will summon every sinner in rank and file before Him to be judged, amidst great convulsions of nature - earthquakes, opening graves, rending rocks and failing mountains; that the trembling sinners will be brought from the depths of everlasting woe to hear their many sins rehearsed, only to be again returned to an eternal and merciless doom of torture; and that the saints will be brought from heaven (of course many saints have a fear that they may appear at that judgment as one judged) to witness the misery and despair of the damned, and return to heaven for eternity. I do not hesitate to say that this is a very crude conception, and is entirely out of harmony with the whole picture of judgment. This distorted picture arises from a too-literal interpretation of a few verses of Scripture which were given merely as SYMBOLS, to be understood by the Spirit.

There are far more judgments than people have ordinarily recognized. The fact is, the Scriptures speak of MANY JUDGMENTS! Some judgments are already past, some are continuously present, and some are yet future. It is misleading to speak of "THE JUDGMENT" as though it were only one event limited to some time in the future. A careful and prayerful study of the Word will show that there are judgments of unholy angels (messengers), of Satan, of Israel, of cities, of nations, of sin, of death, of the believer, of servants, of sons, of unbelievers, etc., etc. Each takes place at a different time, in different surroundings, and in a different way.

It may aid our comprehension to list a few of the judgments of God upon sin. Before proceeding, however, we need to understand exactly what is meant by the word "judgment." Judgment is translated in the Old Testament most often from the Hebrew word MISHPAT. MISHPAT means simply "a verdict" which may be either favorable or unfavorable. The only judgment most people understand is the negative aspect of judgment, the unfavorable verdict, which is unto condemnation and wrath. It should require only a moment’s reflection, however, to enable anyone to see that the very same judge who sentences one man to pay a fine, another to die in the electric chair, may suspend the sentence of a third man and declare yet a fourth man "not guilty" - acquitted! It is plain that a great many different "judgments" or "verdicts" may come from this one judge. Thus, the work of the judge is not merely to condemn and mete out sentences, but to weigh all the facts and take all the circumstances into consideration in each case and render a just verdict, favorable or unfavorable, as the case may demand.

Furthermore, the "judge" of a beauty contest does not condemn or damn any of the contestants who fail to receive the highest recognition. He merely renders a "verdict" as to whom, in his estimation, is "the fairest of them all"! In keeping with these principles the Hebrew word MISHPAT indicates merely the rendering of a judicial verdict or decision, favorable or unfavorable, as the case may warrant. The Psalmist spoke of this when he said, "For promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But GOD IS THE JUDGE: He puts down one, and sets up another" (Psalms 75:6-7). The positive aspect of judgment, the rendering of a favorable verdict, is implored of the Lord by David in Psalms 43:1-2 : "JUDGE ME, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: for You are the God of my strength." The word "judgment," moreover, signifies even more than the rendering of a verdict. It includes the idea of a trial, as well as the decision based upon that trial. And this is true not only in the English word judgment, but also of the Greek word it translates in the New Testament. In the Greek New Testament there are a number of terms used in connection with the judgments of God. Each is based on the "KRI" stem of "KRINO" meaning "I judge." There is the word KRISIS from which we derive our English word "crisis" and which carries basically the same meaning as our English word "crisis." It denotes an experience and time of crucial testing, and has reference to the experience one undergoes out of which a decision, or judgment, is made. KRIMA relates to the condemnation of the criminal. KRITES and KRITIKOS ("critical" in English) both speak of the judge and his decision, while yet another Greek word, KRITERION, refers to the basis for his decision or sentence (as "criterion" in English).