What will happen when Christ comes back? (part 3)

He will judge everyone

The day of Christ’s return will be what Christians throughout the ages have called “Judgment Day.” Not only will all men be resurrected simultaneously, they will all be judged and sentenced to their eternal place of residence. Like the destruction of the wicked and the resurrection of the dead, the judgment ceremony occurs “at his coming.”

Christ Himself spells this out in language that is anything but cryptic:

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…..Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…… And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25: 31-46).

Notice this judgment is eternal. It’s not an earthly punishment but a permanent sentence to take effect immediately. Paul describes the same day of judgment in Romans:

“And thinkest thou this, O man…that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?...But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath” (Romans 2: 5-8).

Paul equates the “day of wrath” to the “revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” It will be a day of wrath for the wicked: a day of judgment for all. As with the previous passage it’s clear that this judgment is permanent. It will result in either “eternal life” or “indignation and wrath” (what Christ in the previous passage called “everlasting punishment”).

In Revelation, John paints another picture of Judgment Day:

“And 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. 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 books…and they were judged every man….And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20: 12-15).

Now as we look at the same event from different angles we notice unmistakable overlapping. In Matthew we read “When the Son of Man shall come in his glory,” then “shall he sit upon the throne” and “before him shall be gathered all nations.” From this passage in Revelation we see “a great white throne and him that sat on it” and “the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened” and “the dead were judged….” These are the same event.

Christ gave us yet another view of Judgment Day with this analogy:

“…the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just” (Matthew 13: 47-49).

There are few teachings in Scripture more obvious than the judgment of all men at the last day. No one should be able to say they didn’t get the picture. Yet, surprisingly, many Christian leaders teach that several centuries will separate the judgment of the just from the judgment of the unjust. Such a doctrine is found nowhere in Scripture. It would make all the above passages meaningless. If we remember to consult Scripture alone, however, then God’s simple plan remains clear and consistent.