English
Português
Español
Français
Answer
Jesus explains that He has received the authority to judge from the Father. In John 5:22–23, He states, “Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that everyone may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” Indeed, Jesus came to the world to rescue those who trust in Him «For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. », (John 3:16), but His arrival also brought judgment «And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. », (John 9:39). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus executed judgment on Satan (John 12:31-33). Additionally, those who do not believe will ultimately face judgment by the Lord Jesus.
Jesus will serve as the judge of both believers and unbelievers. At the Bema Seat of Christ, He will evaluate the works of believers after salvation to determine rewards or loss of rewards (1 Corinthians 4:5;2 Corinthians 5:10). This judgment is unrelated to salvation, as the eternal destiny of believers is secure in Jesus (Ephesians 1:13-14). Instead, believers will be rewarded based on their faithful service to Christ (Luke 19:12-27;1 Corinthians 3:12-15). Conversely, unbelievers will face judgment by Christ at the Great White Throne.At the White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). This judgment is not related to their eternal destiny—by that time, unbelievers have already sealed their fate by rejecting Jesus. The Great White Throne Judgment determines the severity of unbelievers’ punishment based on their actions in life «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. », (Revelation 20:12). Importantly, everyone at this judgment is cast into the lake of fire because their names were not found in the book of life, indicating they rejected Christ’s offer of salvation «And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.», (Revelation 20:15).
Another judgment that Jesus will oversee is known as the Sheep and Goat Judgment or the Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:31-46). Some scholars associate this judgment with the Great White Throne Judgment, but there are significant differences, with a key distinction being that this judgment is based on how individuals treated Jesus’ “brothers,” referring to the people of Israel «And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. », (Matthew 25:40). Given its occurrence after Jesus’ second coming, the Sheep and Goat Judgment will likely determine the earthly outcome of those who are alive at that time.Time of Christ’s return (Matthew 25:1-30). During this judgment, Jesus will separate the “sheep” from the “goats.” The sheep are believers who demonstrated their faith by assisting the Jewish people during the tribulation; the goats are unbelievers who revealed their unbelief by neglecting to aid Jews during the tribulation (Matthew 25:33-36, 41-43). Those who rejected Christ and sided with the beast during the tribulation “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25:46).
Because Jesus is both God and man, He is the perfect judge of mankind. His judgment will be fair, perfectly just, and not subject to appeal “because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31). He is unlike sinful human rulers who sometimes judge unfairly and pursue their own agendas. Instead, Jesus affirms, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:30, ESV). We can trust that Jesus is a just judge and will administer judgment according to His wisdom and righteousness.
(Isaiah 11:3-4; John 8:15-16; Revelation 19:11). The Son of God will transform a world full of injustice into a place of peace and safety. No more will the guilty go free; no more will the innocent suffer: “He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun” «And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, And thy judgment as the noonday. », (Psalm 37:6).
