#131: Evidence of Faith at the Final Judgment

This post is to prepare a few of us for the day when we will stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ; (the final judge), who will examine our lives to determine if we will be condemned to eternal separation from God or enjoy everlasting bliss with our Creator. At the last day, as it is called, all who have died will be resurrected, the evil with the holy; also, all who are still alive will also be judged at that time. This is the big event when we will have to give an account of our lives and be given an opportunity to present our defense–although the outcome has already been determined.

This, most likely, will be the first question we will be asked (Jesus speaking): “What evidence can you present that makes you believe you are qualified to be acquitted, by my grace, of the many sins/crimes you have committed against my Father and me?”

This, most likely, will be the response of many religious people: “I accepted You (was saved) as my Lord and Savior when I was . . . years old; I went to church faithfully every Sunday; as an adult, I gave 10% to my church regularly; I obeyed whatever my pastor taught from behind the pulpit; I did not steal from anyone; I gave to charities; I prayed every day that you would keep my family safe; I did not break any civil laws; I did not steal or cheat anyone; I (male/female) worked most of my adult life to help support my family; I was faithful to my wife/husband all my life; I read my Bible occasionally; I loved God and my neighbor; all in all, I lived a fairly holy life. And when I did slip, I asked you for forgiveness and prayed I wouldn’t do that again. Are there any more questions?”

Jesus speaking: “You said you loved my God. Did you really? Did you make EVERY EFFORT to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? You said you loved your neighbor. I don’t think so. How could you have more than enough of everything, yet not think of those living on the other side of the tracks with no food for the day and lacking other necessities, and still say you loved your neighbor as yourself? The extra money you had put away should have been used to help the poor, which could have led them to believe in my Father and me, and in the importance of all that I taught in the Bible. Did you go so far as to sell some of your possessions so that you could give to the poor? Helping those with their physical needs was mainly a way to show them what real life is all about. Remember, all that is commanded in My Book hangs/is derived from love for My God and love for neighbor. So far, it doesn’t look very optimistic for you.

“Let me examine your life a little further. Did you confirm your Salvation by obedience to all I commanded? Did you live with fear and trembling to think you would one day face Me? Was your attitude in life the same as mine when I walked the earth? Did you know that what is highly valued in life is detestable in my God’s sight? Since you said you read the Bible, did you see the verse that taught how you must love me more than your own family or you could not be my disciple? Well, you didn’t. Your family was the paramount concern in your life. Did you ever read the verse that said, ‘Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord’? Did you believe the verse that taught how no one born of God will continue to sin? Did you walk as I did? Were you aware that I never said one good word about wealth (having more than necessary)? Isn’t that what you lived for most of your life? The problem with wealthy people is that they consume more than they actually need. And when one has all that the heart desires plus some, that contentment naturally downplays the existence of Me and My Father as a dominating figure in life, and ultimately replaces the need for my God other than as an outward symbol of holiness and goodness.

“Let’s see if there is anything else you neglected. Did you occasionally examine and compare your life with what My New Testament taught and not only believe your church leaders? Did you ever consider others better than yourself? Without that attitude, you could never truly love your neighbor as yourself–your neighbor is anyone in dire need. Did you enjoy yourself with all forms of worldly entertainment, sports, vacations, an easy life, new and bigger homes, new motor vehicles every year or so? Were you proud of your worldly achievements? Did you indulge in a comfortable and secure lifestyle? Did you eat, drink and be merry? Did you make every effort to promote my cause, which is to show others (by your words and life) the importance of belief and obedience to my commands?” “Hey, Jesus; my pastor never told me any of that stuff—blame him/her; don’t blame me.” Jesus speaking: “He/she will get his/hers, and then some.”

“As I see it, even though you said you read the Bible, you really didn’t know what I taught in the New Testament. You believed what was preached by the clergy. They left out many of the important commands or watered them down as if they were not necessary. The reason they did this was because these commands are not easy to obey, and if they did preach them, they would lose many members because people in general don’t want to hear that disagreeable, hard-edged stuff. Therefore, it is not your devotion to your church and family or what a good life you lived, but the things you omitted that will condemn you.”

(Author: There are many more verses concerning the attitudes and actions required by the New Testament which have been omitted by many who claim to live for Jesus Christ. Scroll down to blog #127 to view an extended list.)

“Because of your naïveté toward Biblical matters, you were deceived. For that reason, I am sorry to say, you have been rejected and do not qualify for my grace, which is a free pass to enter into eternal bliss.”

We must all remember that there are many interpretations to critical New Testament verses. And the only way to know which one is truth or the closest to the truth depends on the interpreter’s holiness and purity, which brings her/him closer to God. When interpreters have ulterior motives in their analyses, one can almost be certain that what they teach is off-base. Many teach with human logic, which does not coincide with Biblical truth. This is one reason why Christianity in general has perverted many doctrines; their goals are success in numbers, financial gains and other worldly desires. No church or person, with all their great theological learning, can even start to get close to God when one’s Holy Grail is success. And isn’t it worldly success most of us are striving for?

Of course, many, if not most, Christians (and others) believe that when a person dies, he/she goes straight to heaven or hell, which would make this post completely false. Sorry to say, that belief is not Biblical. There are many New Testament verses that teach how when a person dies, he/she sleeps in death waiting for the resurrection of the dead to be judged on the last day. This may be a shock for many; therefore, let me give you just a few of the many verses that confirm that the resurrection of the dead and the judgment will take place on the last day. At the same time, there is not one verse, verbatim, which says that at death a person will go straight to heaven or hell.

There is, however, one small portion in the New Testament that talks about a rich man who dressed in purple and lived in luxury every day. He was sent to hell and a beggar named Lazarus went to heaven (Luke 16:19-26). This story follows along what Jesus said just a few verses before in Luke 16:14-15: “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. . . . What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” This was a novel teaching to the Jews. They believed wealth was a blessing from God. Jesus dispels that belief with this parable, showing that rich people are doomed to hell, and that the poor have a better chance of getting to heaven. Read this section for yourself starting in Luke 16:14-31. There is not another verse in the entire New Testament to collaborate what is being believed by many church people about this section of Luke. And if this section did depict what the organized church believes, that would invalidate dozens of verses that say the contrary, of which I now quote just a few.

* Matthew 12:36. “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” How did Lazarus and the beggar get to heaven and hell without appearing before judgment day?

* Romans 14:12. “So then, each one of us will have to give an account of himself to God.”

* 1st Peter 4:5. “But they will have to give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

* John 11:24. “Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’”

* John 11:11-13. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going to wake him up. His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.”

* 1st Corinthians 11:30. “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”

* 1st Corinthians 15:20. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

* 1st Thessalonians 4:14. “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

* John 6:40. “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

* 1st Corinthians 15:42. “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.”

* 2nd Timothy 2:18. “They say the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.”