Tag Archives: Judgment

I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians…

and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Exodus 3:8

Although He is present everywhere, and His Glory covers the earth,[1] God descends from the heavens and visits the earth from time to time, and does so to establish judgment and order in the regions where man has allowed a government of darkness to be established.

This activity of God is not new; it was part of His intention to maintain communion with man since he was placed in Eden.[2]  From there, His visit to the regions is to destroy the order of darkness that man has built as an ally of the demons. Because of this we find references of when God descended to hinder the construction of the tower of Babel;[3] when He descended because of the sin of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah;[4] when He descended to “expel” Judah and send them in captivity to Babylon because of idolatry;[5] and, the case that occupies our attention on this occasion, the time when He descended to take the children of Israel out of slavery and free them from Egypt.

God’s visitation brings judgment and awakening; judgment for those who operate according to the principles of darkness;[6] awakening for those who operate according to the Righteousness of the Kingdom.[7]  The two processes occur at the same time; in the religious media these processes are presented independently of each other; references in both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that they are two processes within the same event.

3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 4 and the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:

Ezekiel 9:3-5

5 which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: 6 seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

2nd. Thessalonians 1:5-7

How do we know the times of God’s visitation?

Based on the teaching of the story of the liberation of the children of Israel from slavery at the hands of the Egyptians, the visitation of God has the following characteristics:

GOD CHOOSES A MAN OR A WOMAN TO BRING BY HIS/HER HAND JUDGMENT AND DELIVERANCE

Judgment and deliverance do not come alone; they come through the one God has chosen for that purpose. It is God’s way of operating. In the book of Exodus we read that God chose Moses and commissioned him to be the one who would establish judgment on Egypt and open the way for the deliverance of the people of Israel.

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Exodus 3:10

There is always a person in the middle, it is the person chosen by God, it is characteristic of the operation of the Spirit of God. In several texts where they are referred to they are also defined as ‘anointed’. The apostle Peter was sent as the chosen one to establish God’s visitation to the house of Cornelius, in Caesarea;[8] the apostle Paul was sent as the chosen one to establish God’s visitation to the Gentiles, from Jerusalem to Illyricum.[9]

The person chosen by God is invested with a supernatural spiritual capacity to carry out his work, in the gospel of Matthew we read that the person that God uses as a chosen one to establish of the visitation of God is a person that possesses the ‘keys’ of the Kingdom, to open and to close the doors of the spiritual, and to subject by the spiritual warfare to the forces of darkness.[10]  Although we are all called to enter into spiritual warfare, the one who is chosen to establish by God judgment and deliverance possesses a special and higher authority than natural believers normally possess, and demons are subject to it.

God’s “visitation” establishes among those who live under the Lordship of Christ a Spirit of Revelation, as the Apostle Paul himself points out: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him:

Ephesians 1:17

The person chosen by God is usually a minister of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not necessarily the rule; God chooses who He thinks is suitable, we have biblical testimonies that in many cases the visitation of God was established through people who had no ministry. The Gadarene who was delivered from the legion of demons that tormented him for many years was chosen to introduce God’s visitation into his land.[11]  Cyrus, a Persian king, pagan according to the idolatry of his time, was chosen by God to introduce visitation in Jerusalem, and whom even God called, ‘my servant’.[12]

God’s visitation is introduced into the regions by the hand of a person chosen for that purpose; God chooses whom He wants, in most cases, whether they are ministers of the Gospel or not, they are not the favorites or the most appreciated by the public to whom they are sent.

27 but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 that no flesh should glory in his presence.

1st. Corinthians 1:27-29

Many world rulers have been chosen by God to introduce judgment and liberation, and to inaugurate a time of God’s visitation over regions of the earth, only the wise can transcend the political, and see them as such.

THE VISITATION OF GOD COMES BEFORE A TIME OF ANGUISH IN THE PEOPLE OF FAITH

Unlike what religious philosophy states, in the sense that God’s visitation is synonymous with ‘revival,’ understood as a time of Pentecostal gifts, God’s visitation actually means a time of distress, pain, scarcity, even persecution, in those who are born according to the faith of Jesus and persevere in it; the apostle Peter clearly reveals by the Spirit of Truth that God’s visitation begins ‘first’ in and through the house of God:

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

1st. Peter 4:17

The time of anguish is the ‘characteristic’ of God’s visitation to a place, the learned can discover by it the sign that God is preparing his chosen ones to manifest themselves and establish liberation and joy;[13] in the account of the teaching of the liberation of the people of Israel by the hands of the Egyptians we see it in the way that God reveals to Moses the state of His people in Egypt, we read: And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows:[14]

The Revelation that Moses receives from God is that slavery is only the visible part of a greater spiritual power that is hidden; God declares to Moses: I have surely seen the affliction of my people, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. Affliction, cry and sorrows produced, according to the same Revelation of God reveals to Moses, by the dominion of demons in the area; God declares to Moses that the plagues have the purpose of judging the gods of Egypt.[15]

The apostle Paul also states in his doctrine, according to the Revelation of the Spirit of Truth, that tribulation is the means by which in many cases, the majority, the visitation of the Kingdom of God is established.[16]

Affliction, cry, and sorrow is a time of suffering through which the people of faith must pass in order to make it clear, in principle, that God is no respecter of persons, that at the hour of His visitation all are weighed in the same way,[17] but that each one shall receive according to the works and righteousness of their hands.[18]  The multiple stories contained in the book of Judges illustrate this characteristic of God’s visitation to the regions of the earth.[19]

GOD’S VISITATION ESTABLISHES CALL FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Religious philosophy claims to see in God’s visitation a time of awakening gifts in the style of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; however, this is not what the Bible points to as indicative of it. The visitation of God is accompanied by spiritual warfare.

The argument that Pharaoh used to subject the children of Israel to slavery was the fear of experiencing a demographic explosion on the part of the Hebrews, and that they would join their enemies in coming war on Egypt;[20] what Pharaoh feared was what came over him: war, but spiritual war that desolated Egypt.[21]  In the account of when the people of Israel came out of Egypt, we read: And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.[22] How can they be described as an ‘hosts’ having just come out of slavery? The use in the story of a ‘military’ term to refer to the people is not simply to embellish the story, it is the spiritual description of what really happened in Egypt during the time of the plagues: spiritual warfare.

Spiritual warfare is not an auxiliary knowledge of life in Christ Jesus, spiritual warfare is the evidence that the person is living within the Kingdom of Light by faith in Jesus; darkness raises daily and continuous opposition to lead him to desist from his decision to follow the teaching of Jesus.

In the book of the prophet Joel we also read of the emergence of an army that is to manifest itself in future time, this army has the characteristic of emerging to put into effect His Word, precisely in a time of visitation.[23]

In conclusion, I believe that we are living a time prior to the visitation of God, the conditions that meet these times we are living indicate that we are at the gates of a time of visitation of God very great, but lack that we can enjoy it as appropriate, in the Spirit of Truth and not under the approaches of religious philosophy that promotes local church activities. If we are not clear about what the visitation of God means, we can distort it, and instead of knowing how to establish the Kingdom, we could open doors for a time of apostasy. May the Lord open our spirits to understand.

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

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[1]     Psalm 104:1-3: 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. 2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: 3 who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

      Isaiah 2:19-21: 19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth…  21 to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

[2]     Genesis 3:8: 8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

[3]     Genesis 11:5: And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

[4]     Genesis 18:21: I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

[5]     Isaiah 31:4: For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

[6]     Isaiah 10:3: And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

      Hosea 9:7:The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.

      Zephaniah 1:9:In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

[7]     Malachi 4:2:But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

[8]     Acts 10:5-20: 5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: 6 he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.…   19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. 20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

[9]     Romans 15:19: through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

[10]   Matthew 16:17-19: 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

[11]   Luke 8:38-39: 38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

[12]   Isaiah 44:28:that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

[13]   Psalm 30:11: Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

[14]   Exodus 3:7

[15]   Exodus 12:12: For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.

[16]   Acts 14:22: confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

[17]   2 Kings 21:13:And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.

[18]   2 Samuel 22:21:The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness:
according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

      Galatians 6:8: For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

[19]   Judges 2:16-18: Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so. 18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

[20]   Exodus 1:8-10:Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

[21]   Exodus 10:7: And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

      Exodus 12:36:and the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

[22]   Exodus 12:41

[23]   Joel 2:11:and the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Why is God angry with the wicked?

God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. Psalm 7:11

God is angry with the wicked because by his deeds, number one, the earth is defiled:

17Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. 18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: Ezekiel 36:17-18

And, number two, because by his deeds the earth is given to the Principalities and Powers to settle therein and to operate with right from there:

But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 1st. Corinthians 10:20. Read also Revelation 9:20; 16:14.

The wrath of God weighs upon the wicked all the days of their lives, for their lives are in constant disobedience before the Lord, as the apostle Paul declares in his epistle to the Ephesians:

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Ephesians 5:6

And also in the epistle to the Colossians:

for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Colossians 3:6

God’s wrath upon the wicked is so great that He hears none of their prayers, as stated in the Gospel of John:

Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. John 9:31

The wrath of God upon an wicked man may lead him to definitively depart him from His Presence, as established in the books of the prophets:

2I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, 3 and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Malachi 1:2-3, read also Romans 9:13

And this that God can separate the wicked from His Presence is definitely because God’s Grace also includes “time” to be applied; Grace does not mean indefinite waiting:

And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Revelation 2:21

Now, as to the wrath of God which weighs upon an wicked man, here is a mystery which many ministers do not know as dispensers of God’s Grace. The religion from which many preach leads them to “offer” a radical change for those who avail themselves of Grace, which is false. Why is it false? Because God does not withdraw His wrath from the wicked just because He accepted Jesus (Romans 7:24). For the “wrath of God” to be appeased on the wicked who have taken refuge in Grace, he must act in faith (acts of faith) as soon as he comes to Jesus. There must be an “act” to appease the wrath of God, you can read it in the following texts:

  • But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: Matthew 3:7-8
  • And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulcher of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land. 2 Samuel 21:14
  • And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. 2 Samuel 24:25
  • And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. Numbers 25:4
  • 10And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Numbers 25:10-11

A minister of God must teach the congregation that God is angry, and that the only way to cancel God’s wrath is through acts of faith:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6; read next to this, James 2:20-26

When a person has believed in Jesus but does not “act” in faith, because he did not want or was not taught that this was the way to withdraw God’s wrath, wrath becomes judgment, until all past wickedness is purged:

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 1st. Peter 4:17

Is God alone angry with the wicked, or is he also angry with his people?

The references that the writings of the prophets present to us indicate that God is not fully pleased with His people, and it is because of the conduct that pastors – ministries, in general terms – have adopted with regard to what the Word presents,

  • The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. Jeremiah 2:8
  • Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ezekiel 34:2
  • Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle. Zechariah 10:3

Anger is not because of “sin” that may be concealed, it is not about that; anger is because of how much we are fulfilling God’s Will for our nations; anger is because of how much of the Holy Spirit’s instruction we are establishing in our faith communities; anger is because of how much legitimacy of the Word we are proclaiming.

A clear example is the well-known reference: “God hates sin but loves the sinner”, is a reference that is not found in the Bible, but is preached as such, we would be surprised to know that who coined such a phrase belonged and preached Hindu philosophy. This reference serves us to understand how philosophy has invaded the church in forms of apostasy, and on top of that, many end up preaching what the Bible does not authorize to establish. There is a lack of knowledge of the Word, how will they have Revelation like that?

The reason many ministers have fallen into that game is because they are accustomed to reading devotionals and motivational writings of men who have based their experiences on positive thinking. The Bible is clear, the Holy Spirit recommends receiving our instruction ONLY from the Holy Scriptures:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 2nd. Timothy 3:16

Eve fell into apostasy because she attended to a knowledge of the snake that she did not know. When God is going to give us his Revelation, there is no need for other books, everything is in the Holy Scriptures:

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13

God reveals according to the work that we develop, the Revelation of God is not pure information, it is to establish the Kingdom of God. If there is a knowledge that we do not need, let us not seek it in sources foreign to God, the only thing we will do is attract apostasy.

You don’t fall for that game. Turn only to Scripture.

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All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.com

Doctrine of Eternal Judgment

God’s judgments are not necessarily an eschatological subject; God’s judgments have been present throughout the history of Adam’s generation.

The Bible records cases of extraordinary judgments such as those in the cities of the plain, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, precisely because the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.[1]

24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. Genesis 19:24-25

Chapter one of the epistle to the Romans states that all the cities of the world have been subjected on more than one occasion to the judgments of God:

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Romans 1:18

And it stands out among the judgments of God, three of them, those that have been repeated more times in all history. The first one, the judgment for rejecting God in spite of the testimony of prosperity that He established among them,

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Romans 1:21-24

The second one, the judgment because of the establishment of idolatry in their regions,

 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. Romans 1:25-27

Finally, the third, the judgment for having taken God out of his subjects of daily reflection,

 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:28-32

And so, in that same line, the apostle Peter establishes in his first epistle that God’s judgments begin first with the house of God thereby establishing that God’s judgments have been, and are, inevitable.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 1st. Peter 4:17

Thus, we cannot speak of God’s judgments believing that they are situations of future punishment, as if they were extraordinary events, for the Bible bears witness to the existence that every inhabited city, of all times, has received a visit from God in judgment about their actions.

If so, why did the apostles accumulate a doctrine of judgments?

The apostles’ doctrine instituted within their basic doctrines a particular doctrine of “final judgment,” because the spiritual nature of the Gospel of the Kingdom requires that those to whom the Gospel is proclaimed also know the consequences of rejecting it. This principle was established from the teaching of Jesus:

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18

However, the emphasis of the Doctrine of Eternal Judgment is on several particular judgments about the inhabitants of the earth. The first of these,

  • JUDGMENT TO ISRAEL

The judgment to Israel is because of their rejection to Jesus. It was established as a principle of judgment from the time the prophets prophesied about deportation to Babylon.

The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Isaiah 59:8

Recorded in the book of the prophet Isaiah as the cause of his spiritual illness,

From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Isaiah 1:6

Recorded in the book of the prophet Jeremiah as a result of not obeying Jehovah’s Law,

For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. Jeremiah 4:22

The prophet Jeremiah prophesied about the coming judgment,

Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children’s children will I plead. Jeremiah 2:9

The prophet Ezekiel also prophesied about the coming judgment,

7Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; 8Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. Ezekiel 5.7-8

This judgment was confirmed to be executed on those who asked for the death of Jesus,

Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Mathew 27:25

The judgment to Israel will be executed in the time before the coming of Jesus, is according to the apostle Peter, the starting point for the remaining judgments,

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:  …

Daniel prophesied as he himself was instructed about a time of trouble over Israel in the end of the times,

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Daniel 12:1

Jesus defined this time of judgment upon Israel as a time of great tribulation,

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  Mathew 24:21

  • JUDGMENT ON THE NATIONS

We know of the existence of this type of judgment through Jesus’ direct teaching to His disciples.

The judgment on the nations is God’s judgment on all those nations of the world that mistreated the people of Israel after their expulsion from their land by the Romans. Prophesied for the first time by the prophet Joel,

I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. Joel 3.2

It is also a judgment on nations that did not allow the entry of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment, than for that city. Mathew 10:15

22But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Day of Judgment, than for you. 23And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for thee. Mathew 11:22-24

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment, than for that city. Mark 6:11

This judgment is in the time before the coming of Jesus, but after the tribulation upon the people of Israel, and upon the people of God,

Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 2nd. Thessalonians 1:6

  • THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

This judgment is mentioned only once as part of the direct teaching of the apostle Paul,

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2nd. Corinthians 5:10

This judgment is at the coming of Jesus, just before the beginning of the millennial reign. It should not be confused with the judgment of the Great White Throne, for that is the final judgment at the end of the thousand years. This judgment is to define those who will participate in the “marriage of the Lamb“. Jesus defined this judgment as “the wailing and gnashing of teeth“.

It is established in the accounts of the gospels. John the Baptist presents it as part of Jesus’ lordship over the earth,

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Mathew  3:12

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. Luke 3:17

Some identify this judgment with the final judgment, according to these texts, mainly by the fact that the texts speak of unquenchable fire. The writer of Mark’s Gospel uses the expression “Gehenna” to refer to the fire is not quenched,

44Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell (Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire (Gehenna): 48Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:44-48

The Hebrew expression “Gehenna” was used to refer to the place where the kings of Judah sacrificed their children in fire. It is the transliteration of the word Gei Ben-Hinnom, which is translated in the writings of the prophet Jeremiah as “Valley of the son of Hinnom. So he is not referring to being thrown into hell, but to suffering as a result of having followed an apostate doctrine.

And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. Jeremiah 7:31 (See also Jeremiah 7.32; 19.2; 19.6; 32.35)

On the other hand, if you notice well, the action referred to by John the Baptist refers to the government of Jesus over his people, and the only time that the Bible gives us testimony of that action, is during the millennial reign, which according to the book of Revelation, is the time when Jesus will rule over the earth with “rod of iron.”

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelations  20:4

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Psalm 2:9

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. Revelations 2:27

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. Revelations 12:5

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Revelations 19:15

In addition, we have the very testimony of Jesus. When Jesus explained the parable of the wheat and the tares, Jesus emphasized that such an action, that of burning the tares in the fire, is just at the end of the world:

39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 13:39-42

In addition, as part of the teaching Jesus gave to his disciples, the expression “wailing and gnashing of teeth” is an expression linked to the celebration of the marriage of the lamb, as confirmed in the parable of the ten virgins,

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Mathew 25:10-12

The wailing and gnashing of teeth is the lament for not participating in that for which they had been qualified as eligible, and for which they were instructed, but by neglect of not prevailing in their convictions they lost the opportunity to enjoy it,

But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 8:12

And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 13:42

And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 13:50

Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 22:13

And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 24:51

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 25:30

  • THE JUDGEMENT OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE

This is the final judgment. It is the judgment in which the final and eternal destiny of humanity is decided, according to the decision in life that each one made, of acceptance or rejection, on the message of salvation presented through Jesus.

This judgment takes place at the end of the thousand years of Jesus’ reign on earth,

 7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelations 20:7-10

This judgment is led by God Himself. Those who are not found in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where Satan, the beast, the false prophet, hell and death will also be thrown.

11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelations 20:11-15

This judgment establishes the end of the material creation to which we are accustomed. This firmament will be discarded and a new spiritual creation initiated,

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 2nd. Peter 3:7

This doctrine overturns the pagan ideas of reincarnation, and salvation by one’s own works and/or through the mediation of others,

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrews 9:27

 

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.blog

[1] Genesis 13:13