Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 25:31–46; Dan. 7:9–14;

1 Cor. 6:2, 3; 2 Pet. 2:4–6; Mal. 4:1; Rev. 21:8.

Memory Text: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of

Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done

while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NIV).

If Scripture is clear about one thing, it is the reality of judgment.

God will judge the world. The texts, both in the Old Testament and

the New, are numerous and without ambiguity. The justice so lack-

ing here and now will one day come.

The Bible says that God has “ ‘perfect knowledge’ ” (Job 37:16,

NIV) and “knows everything” (1 John 3:20, NIV), including our most

secret intentions (Eccles. 12:14, Jer. 17:10). We can hide from every-

one and everything else, but nothing is hidden from God.

What this reality implies is that He does not need a judgment for

Himself to know the life of each individual. God’s judgments are,

indeed, a divine accommodation, carried on for the sake of His crea-

tures, both in heaven and on earth. This process is of a cosmic-historical

nature because Lucifer began his rebellion in heaven and then spread it

to this world (Rev. 12:7–9).

During this week we will consider the end-time judgment process

with its three main phases: the pre-Advent judgment, the millennial

judgment, and the executive judgment. The whole process ends with

the vindication of the righteous and the second death of the wicked.