Bible Text
“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).
Introduction
If we could live and work and play without receiving any reward or punishment in the end according to how we have lived upon this earth, life would be horribly unfair. On the contrary, this life is not the end of our existence. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” Life is fair and righteous, because a day is coming when God will set everything into balance. The wicked will be punished, and the righteous will be rewarded in the land beyond this life. If there were no judgment, we would have little incentive for doing right. It would be like asking athletes to play soccer without having a goal to shoot for or having someone run in a race without having a finish line. The whole process would be futile and empty. God has promised us a judgment day. A time is coming when all will be made right. On that coming day every good will be rewarded and every evil will be punished. Then the righteousness of God will reign forever.
When is the Judgement Day?
God has appointed a day when He will judge the world in righteousness. We do not know when the exact time will be, but facts revealed about that day help us to have a better understanding of it. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus described the judgment as taking place when He descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
Who will be the Judge?
God has planned for Jesus Christ to sit as the mighty Judge (Acts 17:31). In 2 Cor. 5:10 Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. In Romans 2:16 Paul referred to “the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
What are the marks of the judgement?
What are some characteristics of the judgment of Christ? First, Christ will hold every person accountable. Ignorance will be no excuse in the day of Judgment. (Acts 17:31). Second, Christ will judge every person according to truth, not speculations or human ideas (John 12:48). In Rev. 20:11-12, John described the judgment scene: “And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.” One of these opened books is the message of God, which is our standard for right and wrong.
Conclusion
Judgment is coming. It will be real, and it will be final. There is no better time than now to begin making preparation to face the judgment. If there are sins in your life which need to be forgiven, now is the time to yield your heart and soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. Have the faith to repent of your sins, and be baptized to have your sins washed away. Then begin to live the marvellous life for God that He has called upon you to live.
You may have many other opportunities after this one, or this could be the last. Why not come to him now, before it is too late?