Q. When does the judgment take place? Some say it happened at the cross. Others say it will happen in the future. Fin confused!

A. The word "judgment" is used two ways in the Bible; first, as an act of passing a sentence or declaration upon a person or a group of people. Such a judgment involves the weighing of evidence, an investigation, and finally the drawing of a conclusion. Secondly, judgment is also used to put into effect or execute the conclusions drawn from the previous investigation.

Why is judgment necessary?

Obviously because there is a controversy. There are five main controversies in the Bible calling for five main judgments:

1. God vs. man: Genesis 3 talks of the judgment passed on humanity because of Adam's sin-the judgment of sorrow in childbirth, of hard labor in tilling the soil, and of death (see also Romans 5:18).


2. Satan vs. God: At the Cross, the accusation that God is unfair (Genesis 3:5) is seen to be false, and Satan’s doom is declared-"it is finished"' (John 12:31, 32).


3. God vs. those who claim Christianity: Daniel 7:9, 10 shows us; "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit ... the judgment was set, and the books were opened." Where does this judgment take place? Where God's throne is, in the sanctuary Jeremiah 17:12). In Malachi 3:16, we see that the righteous have their deeds written in the book of remembrance. Revelation 13:8 also talks about a book that has the names of all the righteous, the book of life. Those who aren’t found in this book are destroyed (Revelation 20:15).


4. The righteous vs. God's judgments (the judgment of the saints during the millennium): In 1 Corinthians 6:2 we are told that the saints shall judge the world. They are seen to sit on thrones (Revelation 20:4) and to judge during the thousand years that the devil is cast into the bottomless pit. This is during their reign with Christ, while the rest of the dead (the wicked of all ages) are said by the next verse to be still in their graves until after the millennium.


5. God vs. the unrighteous: When the thousand years are up, the Lord descends (Revelation 21:1, 2) with the saints and the Holy City and God will execute judgment upon all the unjust (Revelation 20:9, 10), not only of men, but also of angels (2 Peter 2:4). Jude 14, 15 clearly shows the purpose for this judgment: to convince the ungodly who are about to be destroyed of their evil deeds and the justice of God in destroying them. They will see exactly where they refused God's power to conquer their sins (2 Peter 2:9).

The third judgment is a central judgment, at the close of which the destinies of men will be fixed forever. Did that happen at the cross?

On Golgotha, Jesus took our punishment as a sinner. He was not yet our Judge. As our Substitute, He paid the full price for our transgressions, but Jesus does not force this pardon on us (Hebrews 10:26,27). At the cross the way was opened for our release from sin and its condemnation. Romans 4:25 says he "was raised again for our justification." This means that our justification, or the transfer of pardon to our names, takes place in heaven, where Christ went after His death.

So when will that decision be made on who has chosen to be pardoned or not? When does time run out for the human race and when does God judge who will be in heaven or destroyed by unquenchable fire? While we do not know the exact time (Acts 1:7), we know that time is soon to come (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4).

We need to know if we are ready for that moment. In the parable of the ten virgins, no one knew when the bridegroom would come. They knew about the wedding, but only five readied themselves with enough oil in their lamps. Matthew 24:14 speaks of a gospel preached before the end of the world. Why? To warn them that "'the hour of his judgment is come" (Revelation 14:6, 7) and that they must be spotless. All cases will be sealed. Before the wicked are to be destroyed forever, the redeemed will examine their cases, and all shall see the justice of God in destroying them (Revelation 20:4, 12).