Vol. 4, No. 23 – June 9, 2019
And I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come” . . . –Revelation 6:1
Thus, one of the Great Judgments begins. There are major judgments beginning with the Cross. It boggles the mind.
Seven Great Judgments beginning with the Cross
1 – The Cross – The Gospel Accounts
Christ takes upon Himself our judgment for our sin. It is a mind boggling judgment; His life as payment for our sin – the price of sin of the whole world, that the whole world might have forgiveness in Him. No one can imagine such a thing. No one deserves such consideration. No one.
2 – Confession and Repentance – 1 John 1:9; 1 Corinthians 11:31
The believer, under conviction of the Holy Spirit, judges personal sin with God’s promise to forgive according to the confession. Thus, confession is required in order to come to Christ. Repentance is required in order to seal God’s forgiveness. Churches today make this an act of easily spoken words in order to join; to become a member. It is far deeper an action of the soul.
3 – The Rapture – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Churches spend more time arguing when the Rapture will occur, than they spend time delving into the Scriptures to understand that the Rapture in the prelude to judgment. The Rapture brings believers to the Judgment Seat of Christ. To our good fortune, Christ has paid our judgment price.
4 – The Second Coming – Matthew 25:31-46
The Second Coming is primarily the Judgment of the Nations. Yes, God does not forget the actions of world nations; they are not left to be unaccountable, simply because they will no longer exist upon the earth.
5 – The Great Tribulation – Ezekiel 20; Revelation 6
Again, the presentation of the Great Tribulation is viewed differently for believers in teachings of churches. We are most unfortunate today that many churches give forth opinions for their understandings of end time events. However, God’s Word is really quite clear. The Great Tribulation is for the unsaved, both Jew and Gentile. The upcoming judgment is announced as a urgent warning to the unsaved.
6 – The Millennium; its Close – Revelation 20:7-10
Three groups/persons come under judgment at the close of the Millennium: (1) fallen angels, (2) unbelievers living in the Millennium, and (3) Satan, the evil one. No one escapes. God has His way, He is Holy and He judges rightly.
7 – Great White Throne – Revelation 20:11-15
This is the final judgment; yet, it is the judgment of concern for all believers. Believers are indeed brought forth to speak to how their lives have been invested in service for the King. They are brought forth to answer for their sin against Holy God. God in His grace has provided for us His Son to pay the price for our sin. Our position in Christ is a great blessing; yet, our stand before Him causes Him to wipe our tears away. What a great and marvelous grace we have received!
Our look at the close of the age actually shows the end that is really a beginning for our eternity. We will move away from the “sevens” to look into other areas the Book of the Revelation discloses. There are many more sevens; my hope and prayer is that perhaps these first few weeks will get you into your Bible more in 2019. Next week we will begin to look at the Book of the Revelation for what it offers us as it moves from chapter to chapter. Again, the Book is not written in a sequential manner; it offers exactly what God intends to challenge our hearts and ministry.
Behold, Jesus is coming soon to take you home to Heaven; His words are faithful and true (Revelation 22:6).
