Judgement Day – How Will You Be Judged?
“For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things don in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good of bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:8
We as people often choose not to think about the consequences of our actions or think that we are accountable for our actions. We like to believe that if we say we are sorry, or if we feel that we are justified in our actions, that everything is fine and there should be no repercussions. When and how did we develop this way of thinking? The bible is very clear this is not the case. Every person that has ever lived or will live on this earth, that are old enough to be accountable for their actions, will stand before God and be judged. The question is to what standard will you be judged?
I know by me asking that question it sounds like I am accusing God of having a double standard. It sounds like some people may get preferential treatment. Not the case. There is one standard and that is the holy perfection of God Himself. He is what we are all measured against. 1 Peter 1:16 tells us “Be ye holy, for I am holy”. This is the standard. This is the law.
So why ask this question? It is revealed in Revelation chapter 20. We see in this chapter that there will be two final judgements in the last days. The first being what is referred to as the Judgement Seat of Christ. This is when all Christians receive their final judgement of their lives on earth. But rather than standing and reaping the worse judgement imaginable, they are awaiting to see what their rewards are from Christ. I personally believe that we, as Christians, will stand before Christ and will essentially see our entire life before our eyes almost like a movie. We will see the good times and the bad times. We will see the times we obeyed God and the times that we did not. We will see the opportunities that we took advantage of for God and the times we allowed to pass by. But, I don’t believe that we will receive any punishment for the bad. Why? Because Jesus took care of that on Calvary, and because of His sacrifice, our sins are forgiven and forgotten by God. Isaiah 43:24 says “I, even, I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” At the Judgement Seat of Christ, we are judged on the blood of Christ being applied to our lives when we followed Christ. He paid the cost. In judging us, God looks at Christ.
So, what other option is there to be judged? Must be at least a second option otherwise I wouldn’t have asked the question. There is. It is referred to in Revelation chapter 20 also. It is called the Great White Throne Judgement. This judgement is reserved only for the lost. They will stand before God, Himself, and be judged according to every work they committed in their lives on earth. There will be some who think this is no problem. They feel like they are a good person and that their good deeds will out weigh the bad. As if God is simply keeping score. That is not how it works. James 2:10 says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all”. If you are going to choose to be judged in regards to your life works then you better be completely perfect, otherwise you are guilty. At the Great White Throne Judgement, God will look in several books that reveal everything you have done in your life. Then, He will look for your name in the most important book called the Book of Life. If your name is not in the Book of Life then you will receive the exact same fate as the devil and his angels which is an eternity in Hell.
There are many who say “If God is love, then how can He send me to Hell?”. God doesn’t send anyone to Hell. Hell was created for Satan and his followers. If you choose to not accept the gift of salvation that God has offered to everyone, then you by default are a follower of Satan. Therefore, you receive the same fate. You may say, “But I have never said that I follow Satan”. While that may be technically true, you also never followed Christ. In life it is one or the other. There is no in between. You either follow God or you do not. The choice is yours. He does not force Himself on anyone. He wants you to be with Him but He also wants you to want to be with Him. If you are unsure as to how to have a relationship with Him, go to the front page of this blog site and you will see a link that will guide you on giving your life to Christ. This is the most important decision in your life, so please don’t dismiss it and take it lightly.