What will the Judgment Day be like?
Discussion question for July 22, 2011.
There are many references in the Bible to a day of judgment. What do you imagine that will be like for a Christian? How will people be tested and tried, judged and sentenced? What will be remembered or forgotten? How will forgiven sins be treated? Bonus question (if there is time): How might it be different for the unrepentant?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. – 2 Corinthians 5:10
This verse describes a time of accounting that considers all of our choices made during our physical life. This judgment is not about whether or not we are saved from our sin, that happened as a free gift the moment we accepted Jesus as our Redeemer. All our sins are forgiven, past, present and future by the one Sacrifice.
There is a Day of the Lord where there is a separation between those that will abide with God forever and those that will be banished from His presence. In the gospel teaching, Jesus used the analogy of separating sheep and goats. This may be concurrent with the judgment day, but the outcome of the review will be very different for those that are not covered by the blood of the Lamb.
The Bible says: “it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2) I imagine that the believers will be given that opportunity to prove faithful. Everything will be exposed. Jesus knows the heart and the innermost motive. These will be on display to God, self and witnesses.
Being forgiven changes the very foundation of events and choices. What was sin and meant for evil or death becomes redeemed and is turned to God’s good. This is expressed in Romans 8:28. For this reason, the believer may be accused by the devil (Revelation 12:10) but every accusation will be a testimony to God’s lovingkindness and tender mercy.
When God says: “I will remember your sins no longer” it means that though everyone remembers the event in which the sin occurred, the offense has been converted to blessing. The new way of remembering the past will be as a testimony to His love.