Judgment
"Full of Grace and Truth", Vol. 2, pp. 81-95, Watchman Nee (CFP)
"Inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment. (Heb. 9.27)
"This most solemn verse from the Bible is uncomfortable to read and unpleasant to hear. That which is appointed is twofold: that men will die, and that after death there is judgment. If you can escape God’s first appointment, you will be able to escape His second. If the first appointment, men’s death, is fulfilled, the second appointment, judgment, will also be fulfilled. Hence the question need not be asked first as to whether or not you will be judged; the first question should rather be whether or not you will die. Yet the subject before us for consideration is not death but judgment. This is a matter none of us likes hearing or takes pleasure in discussing. But there can be no escape from it, for if death is a sure thing, judgment too is certain. If you will die, then you will also be judged. Unless you can avoid the first appointment, you cannot avoid the second."
Judgment - Watchman Nee (CFP)
How to find out? Read the Bible and ask the Father to grant understanding.
"The Bible tells us certain facts. Whether or not you believe these to be true, they nevertheless are true. A fact will not become a fiction merely because of your unbelief. A fact is forever a fact. "
"What Is the Result of Judgment?"
"The Bible not only tells us there will be judgment, it informs us of the result of judgment as well. One day God will judge the sin of the world, "rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thess. 1.8,9). This punishment is eternal perdition, even hell. What the Bible tells us of "God so loving the world" is quite true. Yet what it tells us of the hell fire is equally true. We are in a most perilous state if we have not received the grace of forgiveness. For the unbelieving will depart from the face of the Lord and descend into hell which is eternal perdition."
"Perhaps some will think that as they stand before the judgment throne of God, they can argue that He cannot put them in hell because they either did not understand when listening to the gospel or had not heard aright. You may prepare to reason with God at the time of judgment, but the Lord has already decided the way to answer you which leaves you with no excuse.
Listen to these sobering words of Jesus: "The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here" (Matt. 12.41). The Lord tells us what will happen at judgment. Will God himself condemn their sins at judgment? No. He will simply sit there and watch the men of Nineveh stand up to condemn them for their sins. How will this be?
Nineveh was a large and famous ancient city. Its inhabitants had sinned greatly. So God sent a prophet by the name of Jonah to proclaim to them that in forty days Nineveh would be overthrown. The men of that city heard what Jonah had announced. They proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth—from the greatest even to the least of them. They sought God with earnestness. He saw their works that they turned in repentance from their evil way, and thus He spared them the destruction. They accordingly received the grace of sins forgiven. Much later, the Lord Jesus used this fact from ancient history to prove that the men of Nineveh would condemn Jesus’ generation for the sins they had committed. "
"Now the men of Nineveh heard the word of Jonah and had repented. Yet behold, here is One far greater than even Jonah! Today people hear the Son of God speaking. Today many have read the Bible, especially the Gospel according to John. Who then can make excuse that he has never heard the Son of God? If you have heard, how can you expect to escape the future judgment? For at the time of your judgment, the men of Nineveh will stand up and accuse, saying: "We ourselves heard Jonah and repented. How can you therefore escape, since you have heard the gospel of God’s Son but still did not repent?" "
"Perhaps someone will argue in this way: "The men of Nineveh had the opportunity to repent because Jonah actually went to Nineveh to preach. But I am one of the country folk. No one has preached the gospel in my district so that I might hear it. God will therefore probably not condemn a person such as I." In reply I will tell you what the Lord said about another incident, which will take away your excuse. "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here" (Matt. 12.42). At the time of judgment, "the queen of the south" will rise up to answer the argument of such people and condemn this generation for its sins. "
"Now I will tell you how you can escape judgment. For us to escape we must first ask why we must be judged in the future. Since all have sinned, all will be judged. If you can escape sin, you will be able to escape judgment.
"Judgment" in Greek is the same word as "condemnation." Hence "after death cometh judgment" may be read with equal accuracy as: "after death cometh condemnation." No one can escape from sin. If there were no sin, we could tear down this house of meeting because there would be no need for it. Then, too, I would not have to be a Christian. I could burn the Bible and dare to do anything I wish. But sin is real, it is a fact; and therefore, I need a Savior. I know there is the Son of God who has borne my sins and has shed His blood to atone for us. I also know that if the sin question is solved, the judgment problem will also be solved. Precisely here is the way of salvation.
In what way does God save us from our sins? I have sinned, and for sinning I deserve to be judged and condemned to hell. But the word of God tells me that the Son of God has died for our sins. How sweet is the name of Jesus in my mouth. It sounds more pleasant than music in my ears, and it is the most poetic of all themes in my imagination.
The Son of God came to die for me. He has borne my sins on the cross and suffered for me the penalty of sin. Thus am I saved and freed. This is the gospel! My purpose is not to bring the voice of woe to you, saying that you must die and be judged. I only show you judgment in order to make you realize your need—you need a Savior, you need a Sin-Bearer. "
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Read the BIBLE frequently,
mediate day and night on the WORD OF YHVH (GOD).
Don't be found to fall short,
nor ever to be untrue, nor ever even thought to be a hypocrite ......