Raised to Judgement
Bible Teaching About Resurrection & Judgement
The apostles of Jesus Christ travelled the
Roman world with a bold and urgent message. Jesus had died; but he had
risen from the dead and his exaltation to God's right hand gave new
hope to all who would try to follow his example of obedience. In spite
of mocking, derision and persecution, these apostles sounded forth
their great clarion call: being witnesses themselves of Christ's
resurrection, they were galvanised into action, publicly proclaiming
the hope of resurrection for all true disciples of the Lord.
There is probably no better way for us to learn more about this
wonderful and comforting Christian hope and the associated teaching
concerning God's judgement of man, than to examine it through the
preaching of one of these apostles who had joined the group of
witnesses, as "one born out of due time" (I
Corinthians 15:8). He too was persecuted and imprisoned for
the things he preached, but while in custody would not be silenced and
continued to speak, even to his captors, of the hope which filled his
own heart.
At the Court of Felix
The Apostle Paul was in prison in an outpost of the Empire and
distant from the magnificence of the capital city. But there is no
doubt that, however unsavoury that prison cell may have been, the
provincial governor's headquarters in Caesarea bore some similarity to
the fashionable apartments known to Felix from his earlier life in
Rome. With wide-ranging powers he had gathered to himself a court and
dispensed what he would fondly and incorrectly call justice with a
casualness and sadistic severity equalled, and later exceeded, by the
recently enthroned emperor Nero.
At Felix's side was his teenage wife Drusilla, by all accounts a great
beauty and just widowed as a result of the death of the Syrian king
Azizus to whom she had been married, probably at the behest of her
father Herod Agrippa 1, at the tender age of fourteen. Whether the
tenderness of her character matched that of her age may be questioned
by her premature association with the uncultured Felix long before
Azizus' death regularised the situation. It seemed part of the family
characteristics of the Herods to disregard the sanctity of marriage
and treat the bond with contempt. Had not John the Baptist been
imprisoned and subsequently beheaded by Herod Antipas for his
effrontery in criticising him for taking his brother's wife? (Matthew
14:1-11).
Civilisation Corrupt
The thin veneer of civilisation cloaking corrupt and immoral
practices parallels our own modern 20th century western world.
Criticism of its ways was as unwelcome then as it is now. Yet it was
against this background and before the two most prominently involved
that the imprisoned Apostle Paul "reasoned of righteousness,
temperance, and judgement to come" (Acts
24:25).
It is therefore fitting that we in our day should examine the same
principles, recognising in ourselves, as well as in the world of which
we form part, the need for more exalted standards of thought and
conduct. It is neither comfortable nor fashionable to speak of a time
of coming judgement. It seems a subject inextricably linked with the
doctrine of hell-fire, which has become an object of derision and the
butt of music hall jokes. But while eternal torment deep in the bowels
of the earth is nowhere taught in Scripture, judgement is an integral
part of God's programme which will result in the world ultimately
being full of His glory.
Just like Felix of old, though, if we try to push the subject from our
consciousness we shall hardly succeed.
Even Felix trembled as he saw the strong connection between his way of
life and his ultimate destiny. He was unwilling to mend his ways and
strive after the "holiness without which no man shall see the
Lord" (Hebrews
12:14). Our own experiences teach us that, whether we like
it or not, there is a connection between endeavour and reward; and
between disobedience and punishment. It is the guiding rule in the
disciplining of children and management of organisations and is summed
up in the phrase 'the carrot and the stick'. Consider the following
words, written by the same apostle who stood before Felix and Drusilia:
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to
all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us,
that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus
2:11-14).
There is, then, a responsibility incumbent upon
those who wish to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ to lead lives
consistent with, and reflecting the standards he taught. To do this it
is necessary to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts" now
to the extent that we are aware of the certainty of his return. How
similar these words are to those spoken to Felix!
Moral Standards -- Then and Now
Following God's ways (righteousness) involves a high degree of
self-control. We must each acknowledge that left to his own devices
man "is like the beasts that perish" (Psalm
49:20). How often do we hear of the very slender barrier
that exists between order and safety in society and mob rule? The
well-ordered and cultivated Roman Empire, degraded by men like Felix
and Nero, became inevitably prey to the original Vandals and other
ill-named barbarous tribes. In similar fashion, as the moral standards
of our society crumble and respect for authority evaporates, the
streets of our cities become battlegrounds and fighting and fear grow.
Nowhere is the quality of self-control or temperance upheld. Instead
"each man does that which is right in his own eyes" (Judges
21:25). Just as that was true at a critical stage in the
history of Israel, so it is true today. Of course, if there are no
standards set, there can be no judgement; or, to use the words of
Scripture, "where there is no law, neither is there
transgression" (Romans
4:15). Our society, in order to flout the required
standards for life set by God, has therefore had to reject the idea of
judgement. The catch phrase for our age, as it was for the
civilisation whose similar disregard hastened its destruction by flood
and tempest in Noah's day, is: "Eat and drink, for tomorrow we
die" (I
Corinthians 15:32; Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27).
God has specifically recorded that the wickedness of the world will
result in His judgements being unleashed on the earth: "For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men" (Romans
1:18). Our particular study, however, concerns our
individual response to the Gospel message and the impending
judgement seat of Christ.
Tomorrow we die
This attitude of being responsible to no-one for our actions is
increasingly prevalent. Most interestingly, however, when the Apostle
Paul describes it, he links it with unbelief about the resurrection:
"What does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let
us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (I
Corinthians 15:32).
Clearly, then, the promise of resurrection from
the dead should affect the way we live our lives. It is the reward God
has promised to those who attempt in their lives now to follow in his
ways and commandments. It is therefore necessary for us to understand
what hope there is for man at his death.
Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, reviewing the works of man and
their ultimate value, declared that:
"All things come alike to all: there is one event to the
righteous and to the wicked" (Ecclesiastes
9:2).
His description of the death state is equally succinct:
"For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not
anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of
them is forgotten" (Ecclesiastes
9:5).
This last phrase perhaps expresses two thoughts. On the one hand, as
time passes the dead are forgotten, even by close friends and
acquaintances; but also a person's memory ceases when death occurs. It
is like many pocket calculators which have a memory function, only so
long as power is available. Once that power is switched off, the
ability to calculate, to recall from memory, or to display other
functions has been removed. This is the condition of man at death, as
these words spoken to Adam after his disobedience reveal:
"Thou shalt return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou
taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Genesis
3:19).
Desire for Immortality
Is this the fact which men and women wish to ignore, hoping it is
not really true? None of us likes to think we are in truth ephemeral
creatures, like a butterfly existing but for a brief day. Against the
broad centuries of history, however, this is the case. Our individual
ripples in the pool of life achieve little. Even those men to whom the
world ascribes greatness only make slight adjustments in the course of
man's affairs. Yet there is in each of us a desire for immortality --
to leave something behind us. Parents see in their children aspects of
their own lives being perpetuated and occasionally a child's life is
damaged by the parent wishing to live his own life again through his
children. It is probably this desire which has caused men and women to
express belief in an essential part of man which can never die.
This is a falsehood first uttered in the
temptation in the garden of Eden: "Ye shall not surely die"
(Genesis
3:4). This is the great untruth, clung to desperately by
many, just as survivors of a shipwreck will attempt to ride a
tempestuous sea on the scantiest piece of flotsam available. It is
untrue, and if we wish to be true to ourselves we must abandon it and
seek to place our trust in those things which are firm and steadfast
"like an anchor for our lives. an anchor safe and sure" (Hebrews
6:19) N.E.B.
The Faith of Job
This wish for permanence, to be able to pass on for the benefit of
others the lessons a life's experience has taught, is not uncommon. In
the book of Job, when that just man's suffering intensified the
foundation of his faith, he cried out:
"Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed
in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the
rock for ever!" (Job
19:23,24).
For a man like Job to make such a cry, the message he had to impart
must be of importance. He had been attacked by a disease which was
loathsome: a living death. On awakening each morning he would
contemplate the finality of death and the futility of life. This
crystallised for him a supreme hope, and it was this he wished to be
preserved for future generations, for it was the vindication of his
own steadfastness in adversity:
"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at
the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see
for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my
reins be consumed within me" (Job
19:25-27).
That this was not just a pious sentimentality wrung out of him by the
agony of his illness is attested to by God Himself, whose comment on
Job is recorded later in the book. He says to Job's friends:
"Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my
servant Job hath" (Job
42:7).
The right things about God which Job had spoken
are important for us. He spoke of the living power of God able to
redeem sinful men and women. In connection with that redemption, he
expressed the hope that he would be present to see and hear God's
judgement of him. And yet Job understood the nature of death as
Solomon described it. He spoke of the decomposition of his body, but
also believed that the same body would one day stand before God.
Isaiah's Commentary
If Job was the only Old Testament character to make this claim we
might have an excuse to discount his evidence. But he is not. In the
prophecy of Isaiah the things we have learnt from Ecclesiastes and Job
are repeated. Note first the description of the death state in chapter
26, verses 13 and 14:
"Other lords beside thee have had dominion over us ... They are
dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise:
therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their
memory to perish." (Isaiah
26:13-14)
By careful repetition, there is an inevitability about the fate of
these men -- 'dead' and 'deceased', they shall 'not live' nor 'rise'.
As Solomon had said: "The memory of them is forgotten."
In contrast, however, to this hopelessness, is the position of those
who are God's people:
"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body
shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew
is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out her dead"
(Isaiah
26:19).
What we have therefore learnt is that though for some it is true that
the death state is final, for others, although the death state itself
is the same -- complete unconsciousness, the "one event that
cometh upon all" -- there is a hope of arising or being cast
forth from the earth.
Daniel's Prophecy
This categorisation is taken a step further in Daniel's prophecy
where the second group-God's people-arise to an as yet unknown
destiny. The wording used is critically important, as we shall see:
"And many (not all) of them that sleep in
the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel
12:2).
We know sufficiently well from our study that this is the language of
Scripture on this subject. 'The dust of the earth' echoes the Genesis
record of the fate of Adam, Eve and their descendants. Clearly there
is to be a separation between those whose destiny is everlasting life
and those for whom there will be shame and everlasting contempt.
The Sleep of Death
In common with other passages of Scripture referring to the death
of those who will subsequently be raised, Daniel speaks of them as
'sleeping'. On one occasion, when Jesus was called to the home of a
leader of the synagogue whose daughter had died, he was "laughed
to scorn" by the professional mourners who had congregated there,
when he avowed that the "maid is not dead, but sleepeth" (Matthew
9:24). Had they been familiar with the real meaning of
their Scriptures they would have understood that this language
confirmed Jesus' intention to raise her from the dead. This is
therefore the way in which God Himself views those whom He intends to
raise. For Him they are awaiting the call to re-awaken at the dawning
of the great day of righteousness.
Daniel's words are also related to another saying of the Lord Jesus
Christ:
"For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to
the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to
execute judgement also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at
this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the
graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John
5:26-29).
Resurrection is not a commonly discussed subject.
Conceptions of what happens after death range across many conflicting
theories. Some fondly think of an existence freed from all trammels of
this life and this earth, but otherwise purposeless. We should perhaps
ask what pleasure such a destiny could give creature or Creator. Side
by side with this view is the fear of eternal torment, blazing fires
and sulphurous smoke. Common to both ideas is freedom from our present
mortal bodies. Whatever our destiny may be, it will involve (so it is
said) that part of us which is considered immortal-the essential
personality, or 'the soul', to use the common designation.
Human Myths and Bible Truth
From our survey of Bible teaching, we know these hazy ideas have
no foundation. Instead, and in simple down to earth terms, there is a
powerful and compelling truth concerning man's true state and God's
scheme of redemption:
- Man is born mortal, a dying creature inheriting his nature from
all his ancestors back to Adam.
- Man is sinful. All men are tempted and, with the single
exception of the Lord Jesus Christ, commit sins transgressing
God's laws.
- All men die, from illness, accident, murder or old age.
- Death is total unconsciousness. No longer energised by breath,
the body decomposes to the earthly elements from which it is made.
- God will raise from the dead all who know Him and His laws.
- By the Lord Jesus Christ, and at his return to the earth, God
will judge those who have been raised. Some will be granted
immortality. The rest will return to their graves for ever.
- The immortalised believers, the saints or sanctified ones, will
live and reign with Christ in God's kingdom upon earth.
Alive at the Coming of the Lord
In this programme, special arrangements have been made for those
who will be alive when Christ returns. This was a matter of great
concern to believers who could understand the teaching about
resurrection and judgement, but thought that it could relate only to
those who had already died. Many times in the New Testament the
writers were inspired to clarify this. We should be thankful that they
did, for the signs of mounting distress in the earth herald the great
day God has appointed "in which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given
assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead"
(Acts
17:31). We may therefore be among the generation who
"shall not all sleep (die), but shall be changed" by the
power of the Lord Jesus Christ into the immortal subjects of his
divine kingdom.
There will also at Christ's return be men and
women (and particularly children) who have not had to decide what
their response to the Gospel of truth will be. They will continue to
live through the time when "the law will go forth of Zion and the
word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Micah
4:2). Because of the righteous rule of Christ, conditions
in the world will improve and expectation of life will increase --
possibly equivalent to the times before the flood. Isaiah prophesied:
"Never again will there be in it an infant that lives but a few
days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at
a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a
hundred will be considered accursed" (Isaiah
65:20) N.I.V.
But each, child, youth and aged, at their appointed times will die. At
the end of this reign of Christ there will be a second day of
resurrection, a second judgement and, for those not granted
immortality whose names are "not found written in the book of
life", a second and utterly final death (Revelation
20:12-15).
The resurrection spoken of in the Bible is a bodily one, just as the
era of peace and righteousness to be introduced at Jesus' return
involves this earth on which we live. There is no hazy notion of a
spirit world in far off places, as an examination of Jesus' own
resurrection shows. Firstly, he was mistaken by Mary Magdalene for the
gardener and had to rebuke her for holding on to him: "Take not
hold on me; for I am not yet ascended to my Father" (John
20:15,17) R.V. Later, when his disciples were gathered
together in the upper room, terrified of the consequences for
themselves of his crucifixion, Jesus appeared and they thought they
were seeing a ghost. Jesus' answer to their fright puts the matter
beyond all doubt:
"Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and
see; for a spirit (ghost) hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me
have" (Luke
24:38,39).
Bodily Resurrection
Similarly, the resurrection at Christ's return will be a bodily
one. Those "that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall
come forth" (John
5:28). It is no use for us to question the ability of the
all-creating God to raise decomposed bodies, for He first formed man
from the dust of the ground and can therefore re-form many men and
women who have since that time returned to the dust from which they
were made, trusting in His limitless power.
The similarity of the time of resurrection and
judgement to Adam's own experience is very revealing. He was not
created immortal. There was a choice before him to obey God or his own
desires, and he chose to do that which formed the pattern that all
mankind would subsequently follow. He was therefore 'judged' by God: "Because
thou hast heartened unto the voice of thy wife ... cursed is the
ground ... in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground" (Genesis
3:17-19).
First of all, therefore, the resurrection involves what the word
itself implies -- a rising or standing up: not immediately a change of
nature, but a reconstituted mortal body ready to appear for judgement.
Some will have continued to sin "after the similitude of Adam's
transgression" (Romans
5:14); others will have striven to follow the example of
the Son of God, recognising the victory his death and resurrection
achieved.
Who will be raised?
There will be many who have lived their lives oblivious of the
purposeful power of God and unaware of the promised gift of life made
possible through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We should not
expect such to be raised. In ignorance of the principles involved, how
could they be expected to make an answer before the Judge of all the
earth? According to their own lights they will have lived lives,
receiving equally with all other inhabitants of His earth the benefits
which God showers daily upon us. Those, however, who do have a
knowledge of His purpose are placed in a position of responsibility
and each "shall give account of himself to God" (Romans
14:12).
This separation is the "judgement to come" about which Paul
reasoned with Felix, and Jesus himself will be the judge.
The Just Judge
The work of judgement has been specifically reserved for Christ by
God. How fitting it is that he should be the judge! He was born by the
power of God of an earthly mother and thereby shared our human nature.
He knows the temptations which cause us to stumble because he was
tempted in the same way. Because he had purposed in his heart to be
"always about his Father's business" he conquered each
temptation. As a human being in the line of Adam "the one event
that cometh on all" came upon him and he was crucified as a
result of the machinations of men who were unable to accept his
unimpeachable goodness. Because of his life of obedience "the
grave could not hold him" and by the same power that brought
about his miraculous birth, God raised him from the dead and on
account of his righteousness granted him immortality.
That release is possible from the previously all-conquering enemy
of mankind, as revealed to Job, Isaiah and Daniel was convincingly
proved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of his victory
over death, there is a guarantee for his disciples to share in his
triumph. Knowing that man by himself cannot live a life of perfect
obedience like Christ's, God has promised that believers can be
related to that life and enjoy the benefits which consequently flow.
The means of achieving this relationship is baptism based on
repentance of sinful ways and acknowledgement of the truth of the
Gospel message:
"Know ye not", said the apostle Paul to Roman
believers, "that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the
likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection" (Romans
6:3-5).
Sweet Reward of Faithful Following
It is impossible to read the Gospel teachings of the Lord Jesus
Christ and be unaware of the necessity for judgement. Whether openly
to his disciples, or in the form of parables to the multitudes that
flocked to hear him, Jesus distinctly taught of a day of reckoning for
the servants of God. On one occasion he spoke of a nobleman going into
a far country to receive a kingdom. (The parallel with his own
ascension and promised return to establish God's kingdom on earth
cannot be avoided.) At his return, the servants who had been entrusted
with his goods were called to give an account of their dealings in his
absence. The endeavours of the faithful servants were rewarded, while
the mistrust of the unfaithful servant was punished by taking from him
that portion of the nobleman's goods he had been given to use.
Throughout the account, there is an emphasis on the word
"faithful". It is a believer's faith in the promises of God
that will be judged. No-one has lived a life which of itself justifies
confidence that a reward has been earned. Jesus himself said:
"When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded
you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was
our duty to do" (Luke
17:10).
In harmony with this, the promise of eternal life is not described in
Scripture as something that can be earned. Instead, it is the
"free gift of God" (Romans
6:23). Undeserved by its recipients, the gift has only been
made possible through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Basis of Judgement
Abraham, one of the great figures of the Old Testament, is a good
example of this principle. He had been asked to do things by God which
we would think far beyond the call of duty. One of these was to
sacrifice his own son, Isaac (Genesis
22). It was his ability through all these circumstances to
be constantly aware of the certainty of a future resurrection (Hebrews
11:17-19) that marked him out as.a man of great faith. It
is recorded of him that as a result of his faithfulness God
counts him a righteous man (Romans
4:3).
This then is the basis of the judgement. We are, perhaps by our
association of the word with courts of law, tempted to envisage
something of a kind of debate, with an argument of the relative merits
of various incidents in a person's life. Rather we should think of the
occasion as an opportunity for the verdict to be pronounced by the one
who has been given authority to exercise judgement and who is
therefore uniquely qualified to do so. The verdict will not be the
result of achievement, for it was the ones who would boldly say,
"Lord, Lord, have we not in thy name done many wonderful
works?" to whom the Lord directed his dreadful reply, "I
never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew
7:22-23).
As Isaiah had prophesied so long before, God's requirements are for
humble and sensitive servants: "To this man will I look, even to
him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my
word" (Isaiah
66:2). Rather, the verdict will be based upon commitment,
the knowledge that we are each totally dependent on God's mercy for
all things; in this life and also for the blessings with which the
earth will be showered in the kingdom age.
From Death to Life
The judgement is, however, only a part of the process of leading
faithful men and women from death to life. God's intention from the
beginning was that mankind should be in His image. His son is and was
able therefore to say to his disciples: "He that hath seen me
hath seen the Father" (John
1 4:9). Jesus displayed the wonders of God's character most
perfectly; he was "full of grace and truth" (John
1:14). Many who heard him "wondered at the gracious
words that proceeded out of his mouth" (Luke
4:22); and it was his own, uncontested claim that he is
"the way, the truth, and the life" (John
14:6).
How different this is from our own feeble attempts to perfect our
characters! In different ways we each display a lack of ability to
control ourselves. For one it will be an over-hasty tongue, for
another a particular breed of covetousness, for yet others the common
sin of pride. When we start a process of critical self-examination,
the list is endless. Yet God has promised to those who strive to serve
Him faithfully a share in His divine nature. Using eloquent language,
Daniel describes this result of resurrection and acceptance at the
judgement:
"They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the
firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for
ever and ever" (Daniel
12:3).
Notice that they shall shine "as the brightness" and "as
stars". This is figurative language describing poetically the
translation from mortality to immortality. "God is light",
the apostle John wrote, "and in him is no darkness at all" (I
John 1:5). Daniel was prophesying that those who are raised
and accepted at the judgement will then be changed to immortal beings,
living and reigning with Christ and displaying, as he does, the
characteristics of his heavenly Father.
This is the exalted hope which is held out in the Gospel message,
the "righteousness" which will be revealed by the
"judgement to come" which so troubled Felix, and which will
only be fulfilled when the harvest of resurrection is gathered in.
Christ, who is the firstfruits of that harvest (I
Corinthians 15:23), is the guarantee that all we have
considered regarding this subject is certain to come to pass.
The Day of Opportunity
Felix sent Paul away with the words "Go thy way for this time;
when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee" (Acts
24:25). We can, if we wish, do the same and turn our backs
on the good news of the kingdom of God. We may convince ourselves that
there will be a "convenient season" at some time in the
future, but we shall be wrong. As the apostle Paul said, writing to
believers in Corinth:
"Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day
of salvation" (II
Corinthians 6:2).
These are matters of life and death, and too important to be put
off to another day.