Reference: Judgment
American
Is put, in Mt 5:21-22, for a court of judgment, a tribunal, namely, the tribunal of seven judges, which Josephus mentions as existing in every city, and which decided causes of minor importance. See under SYNAGOGUE.
For the expression, "judgment-hall," see PRETORIUM.
THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, for which the word "judgment" alone is sometimes used, is that great day, at the end of the world and of time, when Christ shall sit as judge over all the universe, and when every individual of the human race will be judged and recompensed according to his works, whether they be good or evil. The time of its coming and its duration are known only to God. It will break upon the world suddenly, and with a glorious but awful majesty. It will witness the perfect vindication of all the ways of God. The revelation of his justice, appalling but unstained, will fill the universe with approving wonder; but the revelation of his yet more amazing goodness will crown him with unutterable glory. The Redeemer especially will then receive his reward, and be glorified in his saints, who shall be raised from the dead in his likeness. He will divide all mankind into tow classes: all the righteous will be in one, and all the wicked in the other; all that love God in the one, and all that hate him in the other; all that penitently believed in Christ while they lived in the one, and all that died impenitent and unbelieving in the other. And this judgement and separation will be eternal: the former will rise in holiness and joy, and the latter sink in sin and woe forever, Ec 11:9; Da 12:2; Mt 10:15; 12:36; 25:31-46; 26:64; Joh 5:22; Ac 17:31; Ro 14:10-12; 2Th 1:7-10; 2Pe 2:9; 3:7; 1Jo 4:17; Re 20:12-15.
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You have heard that to our ancestors it was said--'Thou shalt not commit murder,' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to answer for it to the Court.' I, however, say to you that any one who cherishes anger against his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the Court; and whoever pours contempt upon his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the High Council, while whoever calls down curses upon him shall be liable to answer for it in the fiery Pit.
I tell you, the doom of the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will be more bearable in the 'Day of Judgment' than the doom of that town.
I tell you that for every careless thing that men say, they must answer on the 'Day of Judgment.'
When the Son of Man has come in his glory and all the angels with him, then he 'will take his seat on his throne of glory'; And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people--just as a shepherd separates sheep from goats- - read more. Placing the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, enter upon possession of the Kingdom prepared for you ever since the beginning of the world. For, when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger, you took me to your homes; When I was naked, you clothed me; when I fell ill, you visited me; and when I was in prison, you came to me.' Then the Righteous will answer 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? Or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger, and take you to our homes? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you ill, or in prison, and come to you?' And the King will reply 'I tell you, as often as you did it to one of these my Brothers, however lowly, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on his left 'Go from my presence, accursed, into the 'aeonian fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels.' For, when I was hungry, you gave me no food; when I was thirsty, you gave me no drink; When I was a stranger, you did not take me to your homes; when I was naked, you did not clothe me; and, when I was ill and in prison, you did not visit me.' Then they, in their turn, will answer 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or ill, or in prison, and did not supply your wants?' And then he will reply 'I tell you, as often as you failed to do it to one of these, however lowly, you failed to do it to me.' And these last will go away 'into aeonian punishment,' but the righteous 'into aeonian life.'"
"It is true," Jesus answered; "Moreover I tell you all that hereafter you shall 'see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the Almighty, and coming on the clouds of the heavens.'"
The Father himself does not judge any man, but has 'entrusted the work of judging entirely to his Son,'
Because he has fixed a day on which he intends to 'judge the world with justice,' by a man whom he has appointed--and of this he has given all men a pledge by raising this man from the dead."
I would ask the one man 'Why do you judge your Brother?' And I would ask the other 'Why do you despise your Brother?' For we shall all stand before the Bar of God. For Scripture says--'"As surely as I live," says the Lord, "every knee shall bend before me; and every tongue shall make acknowledgment to God."' read more. So, then, each one of us will have to render account of himself to God.
And I saw the dead, high and low, standing before the throne; and books were opened. Then another book was opened, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged, according to their actions, by what was written in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and the Lord of the Place of Death gave up their dead; and they were judged, one by one, each according to his actions. read more. Then Death and the Lord of the Place of Death were hurled into the lake of fire. This is the Second Death--the lake of fire; and all whose names 'were not found written in the Book of Life' were hurled into the lake of fire.
Hastings
Biblical eschatology centres about the Judgment to which all humanity is to be subjected at the end of this 'age.' As the introduction to the Messianic Age, it was expected to occur at a definite time in the future, and would take place in the heavens, to which all humanity, whether living or dead, would be raised from Sheol. The judge was sometimes said to be God (Heb 12:23), sometimes His representative, the Christ, assisted by the angels (Ro 2:16; Mt 13:24-30,37-43,47-50; 24:31-45; Cf. Eth. Enoch 48). In Lu 22:30; 1Co 6:2, Christians are also said to be judges. At the Judgment, sentences would be pronounced determining the eternal states of individuals, both men and angels. Those who had done wrong would be doomed to punishment, and those who had accepted Jesus as Christ, either explicitly, as in the case of the Christians, or implicitly, as in the case of Abraham, would be acquitted and admitted to heaven. The question as to the basis of this acquittal gave rise to the great discussion between St. Paul and the Jewish Christians, and was developed in the doctrine of justification by faith.
By its very nature the thought of judgment is eschatological, and can be traced from the conception of the Day of Jehovah of the ancient Hebrews. While the Scripture writers sometimes conceived of disease and misery as the result of sin, such suffering was not identified by them with the penalties inflicted at the Judgment. These were strictly eschatological, and included non-participation in the resurrection of the body, and suffering in hell. (See Abyss, Day of the Lord, Book of Life, Gehenna.)
For 'judgment' in the sense of justice see art. Justice.
Shailer Mathews.
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Another parable which Jesus told them was this-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But, while every one was asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away. read more. So, when the blades of corn shot up, and came into ear, the tares made their appearance also. On this the owner's servants came to him, and said 'Was not it good seed that you sowed in your field? Where, then, do the tares in it come from?' 'An enemy has done this,' was his answer. 'Do you wish us, then,' they asked,' to go and gather them together?' 'No,' said he, 'for fear that, while you are gathering the tares, you should root up the wheat as well. Let both grow side by side till harvest; and then I shall say to the reapers, Gather the tares together first, and tie them in bundles for burning; but bring all the wheat into my barn.'"
And he answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. By the good seed is meant the People of the Kingdom. The tares are the wicked, read more. And the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest-time is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. And, just as the tares are gathered and burnt, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all that hinders and those who live in sin, And 'will throw them into the fiery furnace,' where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine, like the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears hear.
Or again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was cast into the sea, and caught fish of all kinds. When it was full, they hauled it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted the good fish into baskets, but threw the worthless ones away. read more. So will it be at the close of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous, And 'will throw them into the fiery furnace,' where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
And he will send his angels, with a great trumpet, and they will gather his People round him from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Learn the lesson taught by the fig tree. As soon as its branches are full of sap, and it is bursting into leaf, you know that summer is near. read more. And so may you, as soon as you see all these things, know that he is at your doors. I tell you, even the present generation will not pass away, till all these things have taken place. The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my words shall never pass away. But about that Day and Hour, no one knows--not even the angels of Heaven, nor yet the Son--but only the Father himself. For, just as in the days of Noah, so will it be at the Coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood they went on eating and drinking, marrying and being married, up to the very day on which Noah entered the ark, Taking not notice till the flood came and swept them one and all away; and so will it be at the Coming of the Son of Man. At that time, of two men on a farm one will be taken and one left; Of two women grinding with the hand-mill one will be taken and one left. Therefore watch; for you cannot be sure on what day your Master is coming. But this you do know, that, had the owner of the house known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been on the watch, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, do you also prepare, since it is just when you are least expecting him that the Son of Man will come. Who, then is that trustworthy, careful servant, who has been placed by his master over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
So that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and be seated upon twelve thrones as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel.
On the day when God passes judgment on men's inmost lives, as the Good News that I tell declares that he will do through Christ Jesus.
to the festal gathering and assemblage of God's Eldest Sons whose names are enrolled in Heaven, to God the Judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous who have attained perfection,
Watsons
JUDGMENT, DAY OF, is that important period which shall terminate the present dispensation of grace toward the fallen race of Adam, put an end to time, and introduce the eternal destinies of men and angels, Ac 16:31; 1Co 15:24-26; 1Th 4:14-17; Mt 25:31-46. It is in reference to this solemn period that the Apostle Peter says, "The heavens and the earth which now exist are by the word of God reserved in store unto fire, against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men," 2Pe 3:7. Several eminent commentators understand this prophecy as a prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem. In support of their interpretation, they appeal to the ancient Jewish prophecies, where, as they contend, the revolutions in the political state of empires and nations are foretold in the same forms of expression with those introduced in Peter's prediction. The following are the prophecies to which they appeal:
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For the Son of Man is to come in his Father's Glory, with his angels, and then he 'will give to every man what his actions deserve.'
Immediately after the distress of those days, 'the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from the heavens,' and 'the forces of the heavens will be convulsed.'
When the Son of Man has come in his glory and all the angels with him, then he 'will take his seat on his throne of glory';
When the Son of Man has come in his glory and all the angels with him, then he 'will take his seat on his throne of glory'; And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people--just as a shepherd separates sheep from goats- - read more. Placing the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, enter upon possession of the Kingdom prepared for you ever since the beginning of the world. For, when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger, you took me to your homes; When I was naked, you clothed me; when I fell ill, you visited me; and when I was in prison, you came to me.' Then the Righteous will answer 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? Or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger, and take you to our homes? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you ill, or in prison, and come to you?' And the King will reply 'I tell you, as often as you did it to one of these my Brothers, however lowly, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on his left 'Go from my presence, accursed, into the 'aeonian fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels.' For, when I was hungry, you gave me no food; when I was thirsty, you gave me no drink; When I was a stranger, you did not take me to your homes; when I was naked, you did not clothe me; and, when I was ill and in prison, you did not visit me.' Then they, in their turn, will answer 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or ill, or in prison, and did not supply your wants?' And then he will reply 'I tell you, as often as you failed to do it to one of these, however lowly, you failed to do it to me.' And these last will go away 'into aeonian punishment,' but the righteous 'into aeonian life.'"
Do not wonder at this; for the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice, And will come out--those who have done good rising to Life, and those who have lived evil lives rising for condemnation.
"Believe in Jesus, our Lord," they replied, "and you shall be saved, you and your household too."
And our belief is, that, as we have shared Christ's Death, we shall also share his Life.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
For you died, and your Life now lies hidden, with the Christ, in God.
And to give relief to you who are suffering, as well as to us, at the Appearing of the Lord Jesus from Heaven with his mighty angels, 'in flaming fire.' Then he will 'inflict punishment upon those who refuse to know God, and upon those who turn a deaf ear' to the Good News of Jesus, our Lord. read more. These men will pay the penalty of unutterable Ruin--banished 'from the presence of the Lord and from the glorious manifestation of his might,
But the present heavens and earth, by the same fiat, have been reserved for fire, and are being kept for the day of the judgment and destruction of the godless.
The Day of the Lord will come like a thief; and on that day the heavens will pass away with a crash, the elements will be burnt up and dissolved, and the earth and all that is in it will be disclosed.
Yes, my Children, maintain your union with Christ, so that, whenever he appears, our confidence may not fail us, and we may not be ashamed to meet him at his coming.
In those days men 'will seek Death and will not find it'; They will long to die, but Death flees from them.
And I saw the dead, high and low, standing before the throne; and books were opened. Then another book was opened, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged, according to their actions, by what was written in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and the Lord of the Place of Death gave up their dead; and they were judged, one by one, each according to his actions.
And he said to me-- 'They are fulfilled. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who thirsts I will give of the spring of the Water of Life, freely.