The Day of Judgment # 4

The Day of Judgment # 4

But those who suffered persecution and death for righteousness' sake, will be most highly distinguished, and most signally rewarded. "Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven!" (Matt. 5:11, 12). They also who have labored much in promoting the Redeemer's kingdom,  will receive a reward proportioned to their works of faith and labors of love. But none who have done good shall fail of their reward. Everyone shall receive according to what he has done; and everyone will be satisfied; for the lowest place in glory is a situation too dazzling for our present conceptions, and the whole is a matter of pure grace. These works, considered in themselves, deserve no reward. But it is the will of God that every holy desire, every good word and work, in the members of Christ's body, should receive a mark of his favor - to the honor and glory of Him who is their Head, and who died for their salvation.

When the gracious sentence, "Come, you blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world," is pronounced, the righteous shall be caught up to the Lord, and shall be seated by His side, and be united with Him in the remaining transactions of that great day; for it is written, "The saints shall judge the world," and, "Know you not that you shall judge angels?"

The case of the righteous being disposed of, then will come that awful transaction of pronouncing sentence on the wicked. They will, indeed, have anticipated the sentence. By this time they will be certain of their doom; but  the scene itself will far exceed all apprehensions before entertained. To behold the face of inflexible justice turned towards them - to hear the irreversible sentence of condemnation, and that too from the mouth of the benevolent Son of God - to feel in the inmost soul the justice of the sentence - to be as certain of everlasting damnation as they are of existence - are things concerning which we can speak now, but of which we can form but very feeble conceptions, compared with the dreadful reality. In all his existence there will probably be no moment in which the sinner's anguish will be so poignant as in this, when the Judge shall say, "Depart, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!" (Matt. 25:41).

Every word in this tremendous denunciation will pierce through the soul with more insufferable pain than ten thousand daggers. It is reasonable to think that every person against whom it is pronounced, will endure as much misery at that moment as in the nature of things is possible. And if this were all, the prospect would be appalling; but to be doomed to endless misery in fire, with the devil and his angels! - who can bear the thought without horror and dismay? Yet, as sure as God is true, will this sentence be executed on every impenitent sinner. Men may reason and cavil now, but then every mouth shall be stopped. That the cry of despair and horror will be heard through the great multitude, is certain - such a great and bitter cry as was never heard before. But it is all in vain; repentance comes too late. The day of grace is forever past. The gospel dispensation is ended. This is the consummation of all things.

No change in condition can ever be expected. Those who are saved, have their salvation secured by the oath and promise of God; and those who are lost, have their damnation sealed forever and ever by a judicial sentence which can never be revoked. And from this sentence there is no appeal. There is no higher tribunal to which the cause may be transferred. Neither can any resistance be made to the execution of the sentence. Those who are now bold and daring in their blasphemies and rebellion, will then find that they are in the hands of a sin-avenging God. It will belong to the holy angels, who are mighty in power, to execute the sentence of the Judge. "So shall it be," said our blessed Saviour, "at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 13:49), 50). And it will be as impossible to escape as to resist. The rocks and mountains will not cover them. They cannot cease to exist. Go where they will, God is there to execute deserved wrath upon them. They will therefore be obliged "to go away into everlasting punishment" (Matt. 25:46).

~Archibald Alexander~

(continued with # 5)