06/06/13

Judgment before the Son of Man

Acts 5:8,9 - And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.


Today's message is a very good example of how judgement of all mankind will happen before the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes again.

Here we see Peter was just a man, even though Peter sat on the judgment throne yet it was the Holy Spirit who played the important role of confirming the harsh judgment.

The Lord made a covenant with man starting with Noah and thus it was written when Jesus went to Hell, He preached to the souls from the time of Noah, and those who accepted Him were raised (freed from Hell with Him, they did not go to Heaven but went to Grave which is a level in the spirit world).

Most people think God will judge us at the end, but they do not realize if God judges us none will go to Heaven, all will perish. God in His mercy has appointed son of man to judge all mankind. Since none were righteous God the Son humbled Himself and came as man not only to be a sacrifice but also to become the only person eligible to judge all mankind.

Jesus says He will sit on the Judgement seat because He is a son of man. Like Peter, Jesus also will not judge according to His human ability (since He is son of man) but relies on the one who is true and that being is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit in turn judges us by the Word, therefore it is written the Word in us will judge us.

Revelation 20:12 talks of the books would be opened and the dead will be judges according to the books. One needs to understand what these books are and then one will understand how the judgment will happen.

If we read today's message Peter asks Sapphira (the woman in today's message) the value of the land she sold the proceedings of which she was supposed to give unto the Church, and she lied. In her heart she was aware of the price but yet she confesses a lie. When Peter led by the Holy Spirit passed the judgment on her, she had no justification to argue for she knew the truth and the reason why she was punished. The same way on judgment day the open books will not give us a chance to justify ourselves when we are judged. These books are records of our words, thoughts and works which are recorded in our inner-man (heart - not natural hearts) and also in the book of the Lord; on the confirmation of the recording of the two books we will have no justification.

Peter could have simple told her 'since you cheated and tried to tempt the Holy Spirit you will die right here' but Peter instead chose to confirm the judgment out of her own mouth. Similarly when the books are opened the judgment is reconfirmed with us.

One would say with all the wrong words we speak daily, the lies we have said or do say at times and the mistakes we make is it possible we can be saved?

Yes, we can be saved because firstly we are judged according the righteousness of man and not of God. Secondly all the sins before we are born again are forgiven and the sins we commit after that for which we ask forgiveness are forgiven and they will not exist in the records.

Now even though there will be records against us, we will still have hope to be saved from the judgment based on the fact if we did make efforts to keep the Word of God or not. Even if we failed, the failure will not be held against us but if we have not tried then that will be held against us.

When David entered Jerusalem as king and called it Zion there were 2 types of people who were not allowed to enter the city, they were the blind and the lame and these two types were killed. This was symbolic to the Day of Judgement when we enter the New Jerusalem (Heaven), all those who are spiritually blind or lame would not enter it, all those who are ignorant of the Word of God and those who have not made efforts to walk in it.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, it was impossible for man to enter Heaven, but You Lord in your mercy made a way for man to come back to You. Even the Angels do not have knowledge of how You will accomplice such an impossible feat, but Lord, You are God of the impossible and we know we can trust in You as the Rock of our salvation. We pray Lord that we do not be spiritually blind or lame. That we know the value of your Word and we make efforts to walk in it. That we do not tire but continue this race to our salvation...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Revelation 20:11-15
11 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.
12 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, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Romans 14:10-12
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Matthew 13:40-43
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

John 5:19-25
19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

John 12:48 - He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

2 Samuel 5:5-8
5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites [means "threshing place" - where the harvest is separated from the waste/hay], the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.
7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.
8 And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

Daniel 7:9-14
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

John 8:14-18
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)