END OF TIME PROPHECIES 021

• The dignity of His office   "clothed with a garment down to His foot."   Revelation 1v13

It is not a very popular subject, and therefore it is not discussed as it should be, but it is a major teaching of New Testament revelation.   All judgment concerning this universe has been given to Jesus Christ.   Mostly people think of Him as Saviour of men, not the Judge of men.   He is the same meek and mild Jesus who taught unlimited forgiveness, and who cried on the cross in the face of human treachery  " Father forgive them for they know not what they do."   This is how the world at large wants to think of Him.   They do not consider Him to be judgmental, far less the Judge of the whole world.   Yet it is absolutely true as the following scriptures will confirm, that this is the high office that was prophesied of Him and according to the vision is now a fact.   This is not something that is future only; this is His status right now.  

• John 5 v 22                  "The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Son:  that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.   He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which has sent Him."
• Acts 10 v 42                 "And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of living and dead."
• Acts 17v30-31              "God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead."
• Romans 2 v 16              ".....in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel."
• 2nd Timothy 4v1          "I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word."
• Jude verses 14-15         "Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgement upon all."
• Revelation 19 v 11        "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." 
• Revelation 20v11-12     "And I saw a great white throne and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.   And 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 book, according to their works."

Clearly the Man of Calvary is now the Judge of all the earth.   The apostle Peter in his first epistle chapter 4v17 points out  "for the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?   And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear?"   This is in line with the teaching of the book of the Revelation, which presents Christ as Judge in the church before He acts as Judge in the world at large.    The judgement upon His believing people is not of a penal and eternal nature; rather is it a refining process to bring them to eventual practical sanctification.   The prophet Jeremiah sheds further light on this in chapter 25 v 29  " For lo I begin to bring evil to the city which is called by my name and should ye (my people) be utterly unpunished?    Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts."   What the Lord is saying here is that he views sin in His people in the same light as He views it in the unbelieving world at large.   Although in Christ we are judicially freed from sin and no eternal judgement will ensue, nevertheless the Lord will visit His people over the matter of their sins.   This much is plain across the biblical spectrum.   It is a solemn teaching, but in the matter of sin God is no respecter of persons and we will all suffer the consequences.   This calls for believers (as encouraged by Peter) to be very careful as to how we live on earth as Christians.   "And if ye call Him Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." 1 Peter 1v17; It is a matter of some concern today that many of God's people seem to have lost a sense of the fear of the Lord, but we can be sure He is dealing with it.