Judgement: 1 What is it? & Judgement Day

By Mark Farquharson

What is it?

First and foremost it would be interesting to look at what is meant by Judgement. There have been many past judgements that the bible mentions, but people like to focus on the one coming day of judgement.

In the old testament, the word Judgement is often translated from the Hebrew word “Mishpat”, which means verdict. A verdict is a decision based on the facts. The judge can find the person guilty or not guilty. If the person is found guilty then the judge can give a sentence, a punishment. It is often assumed incorrectly that the judgements of God are always very had and never ending. However there are judges at competitions, like dog shows, who had out prizes to the top dogs. A verdict does not always mean a punishment, it is a decision based on the facts that can be favourable or unfavourable.

In the New Testament the word “judgement” comes from the Greek word “krisis.” If you change the “k” in krisis to a “c” you get the English word “crisis.” All the times of crisis in our lives, the trails and pressures, are God’s judgements, it is His way of correcting us.

Judgement Day

There is more than one Day of Judgment, there is the one coming just before the millennium is about to start and the another one at the end of the millennium, being the Great White Throne Judgement. There is a coming day of judgement when Jesus returns and The Great White Throne judgement at the end of the millennium eon. It is at this judgement at the end of the millennium that all the rest of mankind will be judged. There have also be other periods of judgement, just look at every time Israel went against God. They were Judged and punished offend by being invade by another nation.

Acts 17:31 …..God…. assigns a day in which He is about to be judging the inhabited earth in righteousness by the Man Whom He specifies, tendering faith to all, raising Him from among the dead - " {CLV}

God has assigned a day and in that day He will judge the inhabited earth in righteousness. This judging will be done by the Man Whom God has specified, tendering faith to all. The one whom God raised from the dead. Thus Christ is the one who will do the judging, Christ is the one who God has specified. This righteousness to last during the millennium reign.

Most people seem to think about the judgement as one day and then it is over, but while it is a day, it will be actually much longer that just 12 or 24 hours in length. A day can represent a 12 or 24 hour period in common use or in scripture, it can also represent any specified or special length of time. For example we use these terms Abraham's day, & Noah's day.

Genesis 2:4 These are the genealogical annals of the heavens and the earth, when they were created. In the day Yahweh Elohim made the earth and the heavens, {CLV}

Here in Genesis 2 it is not talking about just one 24 hour day, it is talking about the creation week. The entire creation period is specified as being a day.

Hebrews 3:8-9 You should not be hardening your hearts as in the embitterment, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers try Me in the testing, And were acquainted with My acts forty years." {CLV}

The day of trial was forty years long. The length of the day of trial has been specified as 40 years.

2 Corinthians 6:2 For He is saying, "In a season acceptable I reply to you, And in a day of salvation I help you. Lo! Now is a most acceptable era! Lo! Now is a day of salvation!" {CLV}

Paul stated that “Now is a day of salvation!” He stated that along time ago, however it was not just relate to the day he said it. For the day of salvation is much longer, and even today is a day of salvation. It has been going on almost 2000 years, everyday since Jesus Christ‘s resurrection has been a day of salvation.

Judgement Series Note:

Please do not get confuse in this series by the use of the terms “New Jerusalem” and kingdom or Kingdom of Heavens. The city “New Jerusalem,” rules over the nations which are part of the kingdom.

2 The Judgement of Sins

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