Judge

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The Small Last Judgement, Peter Paul Rubens, 1619

The term Judge refers to God, who judges the world and the wicked. Throughout the work of redemption, God has punished the evil of the world and its people. After completing His work of salvation, He will also execute the Last Judgment. The Bible consistently portrays God as the Judge and as the God of justice.[1][2][3]

At the same time, God is both Judge and Redeemer. He carries out the work of salvation in order to save people. For this purpose, He appeared in the world as Christ and proclaimed the truth of salvation.[4] What God truly desires is not judgment itself, but that all people turn away from sin and receive salvation.[5]

Judgment Revealed in the Work of Redemption

As the Judge, God has executed judgment whenever the world became filled with sin. When the Israelites worshiped idols and committed evil deeds, He judged them through disasters and wars. Yet in every age, the righteous—those who kept God’s commandments and lived godly lives—were saved from judgment.

Judgment of the World by the Great Flood

The Ark, Lodewijk Tieling, 1700: The Judge who brought judgment upon the world through the great flood saved Noah, his family, and all kinds of animals by bringing them into the ark.

As the population of the earth increased, human wickedness spread throughout the land. Everything people thought and planned in their hearts was continually evil. Seeing this, God determined to destroy all people and every living creature that breathed on the earth. However, Noah was found to be righteous and blameless in his generation. He walked faithfully with God and lived according to His will. God revealed to Noah His plan to judge the world by a flood and commanded him to build an ark of cypress wood (Genesis 6:5–22).

When Noah completed the ark, God brought Noah, his family, and various animals into it. Seven days later, the floodwaters covered the entire earth. Rain fell for forty days and forty nights, and every living creature that breathed—birds, livestock, wild animals, creatures that move along the ground, and humans—perished. Only Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark survived because Noah obeyed the word of God (Genesis 7).

Jesus Christ later declared that the day of His coming for the Last Judgment would be like the days of Noah.[6]

Judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah Afire, Jacob de Wet II, 1680

During the time of Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah were prosperous cities, but their sin was exceedingly grave, and they had become morally corrupt. God therefore sent two angels to Sodom to investigate the city’s guilt.[7] Lot, Abraham’s nephew who lived there, welcomed the angels into his home and served them a meal. However, the men of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house and demanded that he bring out the visitors. When they attempted to break down the door, the angels struck them with blindness so that they could not find it. The angels then revealed that God had sent them to destroy the city and warned Lot to flee with his family. Lot and his family escaped to Zoar. After Lot entered the city, the LORD rained down burning sulfur from heaven. Sodom and Gomorrah, all their inhabitants, the entire plain, and all the vegetation of the land were destroyed by fire (Genesis 19:1–29).

Later, the apostle Peter explained that the judgments carried out in the days of Noah and Lot serve as examples of the destruction that awaits the ungodly in the future.


If he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard).

2 Peter 2:5–8


Judgment of Egypt

Lamentations over the Death of the First-Born of Egypt, Charles Sprague Pearce, 1877

When the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, Pharaoh rejected the word of God delivered through Moses and refused to release them. As a result, God brought ten plagues upon Egypt. The judgments began when the rivers were turned into blood, followed by plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, disease upon livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness that covered the land. Yet these plagues did not strike the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived. The tenth and final plague was the death of the firstborn. Every firstborn in Egypt died—from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the female servant at the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of livestock (Exodus 8:14–11:10).

Before sending this final judgment, God instructed the Israelites on how to be spared. They were commanded to keep the Passover by slaughtering a one-year-old lamb without defect at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month according to the sacred calendar. They applied the lamb’s blood to the sides and tops of the doorframes, which became the sign for the plague to pass over their houses. On the night of the Passover, loud wailing was heard throughout Egypt because no household was left untouched. Yet the Israelites who kept the Passover according to God’s command were protected from judgment and were finally delivered from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12).

Destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel

King Jeroboam Making Sacrifice to the Golden Calf, Gerard de Lairesse

After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two realms: the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.[8] From its beginning, the northern kingdom persisted in idolatry, following the sins of its first king, Jeroboam.[9] The kings of Israel pursued political power without fearing God and often used idolatry as a means to strengthen their authority.[10]

During the reign of Hoshea, the last king of northern Israel, Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent couriers throughout Israel, inviting the people to return to God by keeping the Passover, which had long been neglected. However, the people of the northern kingdom mocked and ridiculed both the messengers and their message.[11] Because they continued to reject the word of God, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was ultimately destroyed by Assyria around 721 BC.


In King Hezekiah’s fourth year, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. . . . This happened because they had not obeyed the LORD their God, but had violated his covenant—all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out.

2 Kings 18:9–12


Fall of the Southern Kingdom of Judah

The Flight of the Prisoners, James Tissot, c. 1896-1902

The southern kingdom of Judah remained under God’s protection during the reigns of righteous kings who faithfully observed God’s law. However, after the reign of King Josiah, the last righteous king, the people of Judah abandoned the law of God and turned to sin. Although God sent prophets to call them to repentance, they refused to listen.[12]

The last king of Judah, Zedekiah, also turned away from God. As a result, the priests, leaders, and people of Judah followed the corrupt practices of the surrounding nations. They worshiped idols, defiled the temple of God, and mocked the prophet Jeremiah, disregarding the word of the LORD.[13]

Eventually, Judah was destroyed by Babylon, the Neo-Babylonian Empire, around 586 BC.[14] The Babylonian army burned the temple, the royal palace, and all the buildings of Jerusalem. They tore down the city walls and slaughtered the people without mercy. Only the poorest were left behind to work the land, while the rest were taken captive to Babylon.[15] Judah met this tragic end because the nation refused to obey the law of God.[16]

Destruction of Jerusalem

The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70, David Roberts, 1850

After King Cyrus II of Persia conquered Babylon around 539 BC, the people of Judah who had been taken captive were allowed to return to their homeland. Having experienced the loss of their nation, the Jews resolved to keep the Law of Moses strictly, believing that their disobedience to God’s covenant had led to foreign invasion and national ruin. Over time, however, this devotion to the Law gradually developed into rigid and formalistic legalism.[17] This excessive legalism became one of the factors that prevented many from recognizing Jesus Christ as the Messiah, who came to save them.[18] The Jewish people cried out, “Let His blood be on us and on our children,”[19] demanding the crucifixion of Jesus and the shedding of His blood on the cross. As they had spoken, they later suffered severe consequences for rejecting Him.

In AD 67, the Roman Empire, which ruled over Judea, dispatched General Vespasian to suppress a Jewish rebellion. After Emperor Nero’s suicide in AD 68, Vespasian was proclaimed emperor and returned to Rome, leaving his son Titus in command of the Jewish War. In the spring of AD 70, Titus intensified military operations and laid siege to Jerusalem. By summer, the Roman army breached the city walls and attacked the temple. Jerusalem and the temple were completely destroyed, and the inhabitants were slaughtered indiscriminately by the Roman forces, regardless of age or gender. According to the historian Josephus, approximately 1.1 million people were killed, and about 97,000 were taken captive and sold into slavery. Meanwhile, early Christians are reported to have fled to the city of Pella in the region east of the Jordan River before the Roman siege, thereby escaping the destruction.[20]

The Last Judgment

The Last Judgment, Michelangelo, 1536–1541

The prophets of both the Old and New Testaments foretold that the Judge will execute the Last Judgment, because humanity has broken God’s everlasting covenant[21] and turned away from goodness and righteousness.[22] Yet even at the time of the Last Judgment, God will save the righteous while punishing the wicked.

Purpose

At the Last Judgment, the Judge will punish the wicked and save the righteous.[23][24] Since all people are sinners by nature, no one can escape God’s judgment or attain righteousness through their own deeds. However, those who receive the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ are declared righteous before God.[25] These are the ones who will be saved from the Judge’s wrath at the Last Judgment.


But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Romans 5:8–9


The Passover is the covenant of the forgiveness of sins, established through the blood of Christ.[26] In the Gospel of Luke, it is recorded as the Passover of the new covenant,[27] and the writer of Hebrews refers to it as the eternal covenant.[28] Therefore, those who keep the truth of the new covenant are justified before God and are able to receive salvation at the Last Judgment. Conversely, those who reject God’s truth, pursue unrighteousness, or fail to live godly lives will ultimately face God’s judgment.[29][30]

Appearance

The Great Day of His Wrath, John Martin, 1851–1853

At the end of the world, the Judge will appear in a terrifying form, surrounded by fire, to punish the wicked.

  • “See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the LORD (Isaiah 66:15–16).”
  • “And give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the LORD Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our LORD Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the LORD and from the glory of his might (2 Thessalonians 1:7–9).”

The Old and New Testaments also prophesy that, in the end, the world will be judged with fire of the Judge.

  • “The great day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath—a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness—a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. . . . In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth. (Zephaniah 1:14–18)”
  • “By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. . . . But the day of the LORD will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:6–10)”

Time

The Exhortation to the Apostles, James Tissot, 1886–1894: Jesus taught His disciples to keep watch and be alert.

The time of the Last Judgment will be the day when the work of redemption is completed after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. No one can know the exact day or hour. The Bible prophesies that it will come suddenly, like a thief in the night. For this reason, Jesus and the apostles taught, “Keep watch,” because the LORD, the Judge, will come on an unexpected day. This exhortation means that believers must continually obey God’s commandments and live godly lives.

  • “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your LORD will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:42–44).
  • “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).
  • “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. . . . Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” (Mark 13:32–37).
  • “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:34–36).”
  • Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the LORD will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. . . . So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober (1 Thessalonians 5:1–6).

Judgment After Death

The Last Judgement, John Martin, 1853: Each person will be judged according to what they have done.

The work of the Judge does not end with physical judgment alone. After death, every person’s soul will stand before the judgment seat of God and be judged.[31] At that time, the Judge will evaluate all of a person’s deeds, including hidden and secret actions, discerning between good and evil.[32][33] Accordingly, each individual will receive either a reward or punishment based on what they have done.

Eternal Punishment of the Wicked

The wicked will be punished according to their deeds, receiving judgment in proportion to the seriousness of their sins.[34]

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Revelation 20:12


After undergoing punishment, they ultimately face death. At the time of the Last Judgment, even the fallen angels will be judged.[35][36] Satan, the devil, and the false prophets—who deceived the whole world—will be thrown into the lake of fire (hell) and will suffer torment day and night forever.


And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever”

Revelation 20:10


Reward of the Righteous

The judgment of God’s people, who have already received salvation through the blood of Christ, differs from that of the wicked. The righteous will receive the rewards prepared for them according to their deeds[37] and will reign in the kingdom of heaven with glory for ever and ever.


There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the LORD God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. . . . “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”

Revelation 22:5, 12


Difference Between the Judge at the Last Judgment and the Second Coming Jesus

The Last Judgement, Jean Cousin le Fils: Most Christians identify the Judge at the Last Judgment with Jesus who comes a second time.

For details, refer to: How Jesus Comes a Second Time

Many Christians believe that the Judge who appears at the end of the world is Jesus Christ at His second coming.[38] However, the Bible presents the Second Coming and the Last Judgment as distinct events, each with a different purpose, time, and manner of appearance.


“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Luke 21:27–28


Scripture prophesies that the Son of Man—namely, Jesus Christ—will come a second time. The day of His Second Coming is described as “the time when your redemption is drawing near.” In this passage, “your” refers not only to the disciples who heard Jesus’ words directly, but also to all believers who follow Christ in the same faith. The redemption they are to await is eternal redemption, through which God’s people ultimately enter heaven. The day on which this eternal redemption is completed is the day of the Last Judgment.


. . . That day [the Last Judgment day] will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3:12–13


Jesus comes when redemption is near, not on the very day redemption is completed. In other words, the Last Judgment takes place after the second coming of Jesus. Jesus’ second coming is for the purpose of salvation. He comes “on the clouds” to gather those who are to be saved.[39] By contrast, the Judge who appears at the end of the world comes to execute judgment. The Bible describes this Judge as appearing in a fearful and glorious form, surrounded by flames of fire, to punish the wicked.[40]

Thus, the time, appearance, and purpose of Jesus at His second coming and of the Judge at the Last Judgment are clearly different. The crucial point is this: In order to receive salvation before standing before the Judge on Judgment Day, people must first recognize Jesus Christ at His second coming and follow the truth He brings.

Jesus at His Second Coming Judge at the Last Day
Time Before the Last Judgment On the Last Judgment Day
Appearance Cloud Fire
Purpose Gathering the Elect Last Judgment of the World

See also

  • Sermon: Judgment Day

References

  1. ↑ "Psalms 50:6".
  2. ↑ "Hebrews 12:23".
  3. ↑ "James 5:9".
  4. ↑ "John 3:16-17".
  5. ↑ "2 Peter 3:9-10".
  6. ↑ "Luke 17:26-30".
  7. ↑ "Genesis 18:20-21".
  8. ↑ Jean-Pierre Isbouts, The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2007
  9. ↑ "2 Kings 10:29".
  10. ↑ 1 Kings 16:23, Bible Hub
  11. ↑ "2 Chronicles 30:1-10".
  12. ↑ "Jeremiah 35:15".
  13. ↑ "2 Chronicles 36:11-17".
  14. ↑ Corie Bobechko, 586 BC: The Fall of Jerusalem, Bible Discovery, July 28, 2020
  15. ↑ "2 Kings 25:1-17".
  16. ↑ "Jeremiah 44:23".
  17. ↑ "Nehemiah 10:29–31".
  18. ↑ Challenge to Legalism, Bible Hub
  19. ↑ "Matthew 27:23–25".
  20. ↑ Josephus, The Jewish War, trans. G. A. Williamson, rev. E. Mary Smallwood, London: Penguin Books, 1981, book 2
  21. ↑ "Isaiah 24:3-5".
  22. ↑ "2 Timothy 3:1-5".
  23. ↑ "Malachi 4:1-3".
  24. ↑ "2 Peter 3:12-13".
  25. ↑ "Romans 3:19-26".
  26. ↑ "Matthew 26:19, 26-28".
  27. ↑ "Luke 22:15, 20".
  28. ↑ "Hebrews 13:20".
  29. ↑ "2 Thessalonians 2:12".
  30. ↑ "2 Peter 3:7".
  31. ↑ "Hebrews 9:27".
  32. ↑ "Ecclesiastes 12:14".
  33. ↑ "2 Corinthians 5:10".
  34. ↑ "Luke 12:47-48".
  35. ↑ "2 Peter 2:4".
  36. ↑ "Jude 1:6".
  37. ↑ "Matthew 25:31–46".
  38. ↑ Salvation in Christianity, BBC
  39. ↑ "Matthew 24:30-31".
  40. ↑ "2 Thessalonians 1:7-9".
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