If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 95

The Last Judgment

Lesson 95	Screen 1
The Last Judgment

We invite you to pray with us:

Father,

Before the inauguration of Your new Creation, in which evil will be no more, a last work must be performed: the Last Judgment.

We humbly ask You to enlighten us, by Your prophetic Word, about this important subject.

In Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

Lesson 95	Screen 2
The Last Judgment

1 Peter 4:17

Comments

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.

And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

As we have seen many times in our lessons, the judgment began in the heavenly sanctuary in 1844, with the examination of each believer's case.

This first stage of the judgment identifies those whose conversion is not true and sincere, and their names are then blotted out from the Book of Life.

When this first stage is completed, Jesus will come to gather His people.

Then, the second stage of the judgment will begin, examining the case of each unrepentant, and leading to the execution of the Last Judgment.

Lesson 95	Screen 3
The Last Judgment

Revelation 20:4,12	Comments
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. (...) And books were opened. (...) And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.	In our last lesson, we have seen that God's redeemed people will assist Jesus as He judges unrepentant men and fallen angels.
1 Corinthians 6:2,3
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? (...) Do you not know that we shall judge angels?

Lesson 95	Screen 4
The Last Judgment

Revelation 20:12	Comments
And books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.	Many books will be consulted during the judgment. First, there is the Lamb's Book of Life, containing the names of all those who are redeemed in Jesus Christ.

Lesson 95	Screen 5
The Last Judgment

Malachi 3:16	Comments
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.	Next, there is the book of remembrance, containing all the good works of God's children, which will justify the reward of each one on the New Earth.
Revelation 22:12
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Lesson 95	Screen 6
The Last Judgment

Amos 8:7	Comments
The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: ŤSurely I will never forget any of their works.ť	Finally, there are many other books, containing the bad works of all those who rejected God's offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. The content of these books will justify the punishment of each unrepentant person at the end of time.
Jeremiah 2:22
ŤFor though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, yet your iniquity is marked before Meť, says the Lord God.

Lesson 95	Screen 7
The Last Judgment

Romans 2:12,13,16	Comments
As many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law; for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified (...), in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.	The basis of the judgment will be the Law of God, His Ten Commandments.
James 2:12
So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

Lesson 95	Screen 8
The Last Judgment

Luke 12:47,48	Comments
And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few.	As we can see here, the judgment will take into account each person's level of knowledge.
Acts 17:30
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.

Lesson 95	Screen 9
The Last Judgment

Revelation 20:12,15 and 21:8	Comments
Books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. (...) And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (...) [They] shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.	After the Millennium, those who rebelliously rejected God's call to salvation will come back to life, to receive their verdict of guilt and their sentence: a total and final destruction.

Lesson 95	Screen 10
The Last Judgment

Matthew 13:49,50	Comments
[Jesus said,] ŤSo it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.ť	The Bible indeed confirms many times that the punishment of the unrepentant will take place at the end of the world, on the day of judgment.
2 Peter 2:9
The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.

Lesson 95	Screen 11
The Last Judgment

Romans 8:11	Comments
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.	Many people teach that the wicked will suffer forever in the fire of hell. But, in our lesson ŤThe False Prophetť, we learned that man is a mortal being. No one has immortality dwelling within him. So we can already note an anomaly in the doctrine of eternal sufferings: in fact, to suffer eternally, man would have to be immortal, and that is not the case.

Lesson 95	Screen 12
The Last Judgment

1 Corinthians 15:53	Comments
This mortal must put on immortality.	So, in order to live forever, man must receive immortality, which only God can give. Now, we must ask ourselves this crucial question: Will God grant eternal life to the wicked as well, so that they may suffer forever in the fire of hell?
1 Timothy 6:15,16
(...) the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality.

Lesson 95	Screen 13
The Last Judgment

Romans 2:6,7	Comments
[God] will render to each one according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality.	The answer could not be more straightforward: eternal life is reserved for the righteous. Only the people of God will receive immortality, at Jesus' return. As for the wicked, they will keep their mortal nature, and thus won't be able to live forever. Many other verses of the Bible confirm this fact. Let's see...

Lesson 95	Screen 14
The Last Judgment

God will grant immortality only to those who have accepted His salvation:

ŤFor the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.ť (ROMANS 6:23)

ŤOur Savior Jesus Christ (...) has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.ť (2 TIMOTHY 1:10)

ŤNo murderer has eternal life abiding in him.ť (1 JOHN 3:15)

ŤHe who does the will of God abides forever.ť (1 JOHN 2:17)

ŤHe who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.ť (REVELATION 2:11)

ŤAnd this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.ť (1 JOHN 5:11,12)

Lesson 95	Screen 15
The Last Judgment

Malachi 4:1,3	Comments
ŤFor behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,ť says the Lord of hosts, Ťthat will leave them neither root nor branch. (...) You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this.ť	Since the wicked won't receive eternal life, they will not burn forever. This conclusion is confirmed by the Bible, teaching that the final lot of the wicked will be a total destruction.

Lesson 95	Screen 16
The Last Judgment

Obadiah verse 16	Comments
For as you drank on My holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yes, they shall drink, and swallow, and they shall be as though they had never been.	The Bible says that the wicked will be Ťdestroyedť, Ťcut offť, Ťas a non-existent thingť, Ťas though they had never beenť, Ťashes under the soles of your feetť, and many other words expressing a complete destruction at the end of time. The wages of sin is death, and not eternal torture in hell!
Psalm 92:7
When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever.

Lesson 95	Screen 17
The Last Judgment

The Bible teaches that the wicked will be destroyed at the end of time:

ŤYou have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And You have destroyed cities; even their memory has perished.ť (PSALM 9:5,6)

ŤHe has brought on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; the Lord our God shall cut them off.ť (PSALM 94:23)

ŤThere will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.ť (PROVERBS 24:20)

ŤThose who war against You shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.ť (ISAIAH 41:12)

ŤBehold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it.ť (ISAIAH 13:9)

ŤThey shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.ť (NAHUM 1:10)

Lesson 95	Screen 18
The Last Judgment

Matthew 25:46

Comments

And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Now, let's look at some verses often presented by those who teach the doctrine of eternal torment in the fire of hell.

Let's begin with this verse: some people say that the words Ťeverlasting punishmentť mean Ťeverlasting sufferingť.

But etymologically, Ťpunishedť means Ťcut offť, Ťremovedť. So the sinner will be totally, irrevocably cut off from life.

The punishment will indeed be eternal in its effect, since the sinner will never live again.

Lesson 95	Screen 19
The Last Judgment

Isaiah 11:4	Comments
With righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.	So the Ťeverlasting punishmentť is the everlasting death of the wicked, which Revelation also calls Ťthe second deathť, a death without any possibility of a return to life.

Lesson 95	Screen 20
The Last Judgment

Hebrews 6:2	Comments
(...) of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.	Likewise, the expression Ťeternal judgmentť must not be interpreted as eternal suffering. The Bible is clear: God's anger is Ťbut for a momentť. Let's think about it: how could a loving and righteous God inflict eternal sufferings on someone whose rebellion has lasted only a finite, human lifetime? The Bible clearly rejects this heresy.
Psalm 30:5
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life.

Lesson 95	Screen 21
The Last Judgment

Matthew 25:41	Comments
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ŤDepart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.ť	Here is another expression wrongly interpreted: the Ťeverlasting fireť. Yet, the Word of God clearly explains the true meaning of this expression. Let's look at the following verses...

Lesson 95	Screen 22
The Last Judgment

Genesis 19:24,25	Comments
Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.	The Ťeternal fireť destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet, this fire went out a long time ago! The Bible also says that ŤSodom and Gomorrah are set forth as an exampleť, but for whom?
Jude verse 7
Sodom and Gomorrah (...) are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Lesson 95	Screen 23
The Last Judgment

2 Peter 2:6	Comments
[God turned] Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.	The punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah indicates the nature of the punishment of the wicked at the end of time: a complete destruction. They will perish in a fire which will go out only after having completed its work of total destruction. And after that, there will be only ashes left.
Proverbs 26:20
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out.

Lesson 95	Screen 24
The Last Judgment

Luke 16:19,22-24	Comments
There was a certain rich man. (...) The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ŤFather Abraham, have mercy on me, (...) for I am tormented in this flame.ť	The parable of Lazarus and the evil rich man is also often presented to prove that the wicked go to hell immediately after their death, even if that refutes the teachings of all the rest of the Scriptures. But a parable must not be interpreted literally, as we can see in the parable of the trees that speak one to the other (see Judges 9:8-15).

Lesson 95	Screen 25
The Last Judgment

Revelation 20:10	Comments
And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.	The Greek words Ťeis aionas aiononť (literally, Ťunto ages of agesť), and the Hebrew equivalent Ťal yolamť (generally translated Ťforeverť) do not mean that the wicked will suffer eternally, just as the eternal fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah no longer burns today. Other verses using the words Ťforever and everť will show us their real meaning.

Lesson 95	Screen 26
The Last Judgment

Isaiah 34:6,9,10	Comments
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. (...) Its land shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night or day; its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; no one shall pass through it forever and ever.	The words Ťits smoke shall ascend foreverť, Ťforever and everť, simply indicate a complete destruction, since the cities are Ťperpetual wastesť.
Jeremiah 49:13
Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual wastes.

Lesson 95	Screen 27
The Last Judgment

1 Samuel 1:22,28	Comments
I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever. (...) As long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.	Likewise, the word Ťforeverť doesn't mean Ťeternallyť, but rather Ťfor a lifetimeť. In fact, a slave could serve his master Ťforeverť, that is, all his life, but certainly not for all eternity.
Exodus 21:6
His master shall pierce [the servant's] ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

Lesson 95	Screen 28
The Last Judgment

Psalm 83:17	Comments
Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; yes, let them be put to shame and perish.	So, the wicked will be confounded and dismayed Ťforeverť, that is, for all the time they have left to live, before perishing in a total and final destruction.

Lesson 95	Screen 29
The Last Judgment

Matthew 25:41	Comments
Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.	Will Satan be destroyed too? Some people teach that, since Satan is an angel, God will not be able to destroy him. Yet, the Bible teaches exactly the contrary: Satan will really be destroyed at the end of time.
Revelation 20:10
And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

Lesson 95	Screen 30
The Last Judgment

Ezekiel 28:17-19	Comments
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. (...) Therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.	In our lesson ŤThe Great Dragon and his Angelsť, we studied this prophecy of Ezekiel explaining how Satan came to rebel against God. Now, this same prophecy announces the coming destruction of Satan.

Lesson 95	Screen 31
The Last Judgment

Isaiah 27:1	Comments
In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; and He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.	Just like the wicked, Satan will be destroyed at the end of time.
Hebrews 2:14
[Jesus] Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
Romans 16:20
And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.

Lesson 95	Screen 32
The Last Judgment

Revelation 20:14	Comments
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.	The lake of fire is Ťthe second deathť, and not everlasting suffering in hell. And when the wicked are dead, death itself will be destroyed.
Isaiah 25:8
[The Lord God] will swallow up death forever.
1 Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Lesson 95	Screen 33
The Last Judgment

Revelation 21:4,5	Comments
There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, ŤBehold, I make all things new.ť And He said to me, ŤWrite, for these words are true and faithful.ť	The happiness of God's people won't be disturbed by the rebels' cries of suffering, for they will be no more, just like all the former things.
Nahum 1:9
What do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time.

Lesson 95	Screen 34
The Last Judgment

Revelation 21:1-3,5

Comments

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,

ŤBehold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. (...) These words are true and faithful.ť

After the execution of the Last Judgment, the New Jerusalem will finally come down on the new earth.

This will be the subject of our next lesson.

Lesson 95	Screen 35
The Last Judgment

Revelation 14:6,7	Comments
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth - to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people - saying with a loud voice, ŤFear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.ť	Yes, truly, the hour of God's judgment has come. Do we all rely on Jesus Christ, the only Advocate who can really help us? Do we depend upon His appearing for us before God's throne, to obtain forgiveness for our sins?

Lesson 95	Screen 36
The Last Judgment

Ecclesiastes 12:13,14	Comments
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil.	Let's remember that each believer's case is at present examined in the divine court. The only way to be acquitted of the accusation which hangs over us is to accept Jesus as our personal Savior, for the forgiveness of our sins. Then, we must make Him the Lord of our lives, so that we may grow in faithfulness and obedience to the commandments of God.

Lesson 95	Screen 37
The Last Judgment

Let's pray together:

Lord,

This is a solemn time, for the hour of Your judgment has now come.

We humbly ask You to forgive our sins, through the most precious blood of Jesus, and to transform our hearts, through the work of Your Spirit within us.

In this way, our names will remain written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and we won't have to suffer the second death at the time of the Last Judgment.

In Jesus Christ, our Advocate, we pray and thank You in advance.

Amen.

The test of Lesson 95 is waiting for you!

Click here to send us your questions or comments about our Web site and products.
Copyright Š2002 Cyberspace Ministry