Anchor My Faith

Day of Judgment

Scripture: Matthew 12:36-37

In the previous lesson our focus was primarily on seeing that the hearts of these scribes and Pharisees were bad as revealed by the words they spoke. We spent most of our time with verses 33 – 35 and then introduced verses 36 and 37. In this lesson we will cover the “day of judgment” and in the next lesson “careless words.”

^{Mt 12:36} I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, ³⁷ for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” 

What is “the of judgment?” If you Google the meaning of “the day of Judgment” you are told: “Judgment Day. In the New Testament, the day at the end of time. According to the Gospels and the Book of Revelation, on this day the Earth and the sky will be in an uproar, the dead will rise from their graves, and Jesus will return to judge all the living and the dead.”

That definition and the search links that followed didn’t help clarify the issue very much, so I started my own search of the Scriptures. Using biblegateway.com/passage/ I went to options and selected cross reference (the default is not selected). This is a great tool for Bible study as it provides a convenient way to find related verses. With the cross reference turned on I started my search with Hebrews 9:27 ESV: ²⁷ “And just as ^(A)it is appointed for man to die once, and ^(B)after that comes judgment.” The (B) cross reference takes us to Matthew 16:27 ESV: “^27 (A)For the Son of Man is going to come with ^(B)his angels in the glory of his Father, and ^(C)then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” Looking at the (C) cross reference you will notice there are ten. If you click on them all ten will be displayed as this link will show. Each cross reference is summarized below.

1. Romans 2:6 – God will render to each one according to his works.
2. Romans 14:12 – Each of us must give an account of himself to God.
3. 2 Corinthians 5:10 – All believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
4. Hebrews 9:27 – Each person will die physically, and each will face judgment some time later.
5. 1 Peter 1:17 – The Father will judge each one according to one’s deeds.
6. Revelation 2:23 – God will give to each according to our works.
7. Revelation 20:12 – Those who are unsaved will come before the great white throne and be judged from two books.
8. Revelation 22:12 – The Lord is coming soon to repay each for what he has done.
9. Acts 10:42 – Jesus is appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.
10. 1 Corinthians 3:8 – We will receive our wages according to our labor.

I presented this to show that “the day of judgment” will occur for everyone at some time and at some place. There are two major places of judgment: The judgment seat of Christ for the believer and the great white throne for the unbeliever. There appears to be other times and places for judgment.

Conclusion

As this lesson shows, it is difficult to determine what the day of judgment is and when it will occur, but just as sure as death is, so is the day of judgment for each person.