BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: As Christians, we believe we will be judged by our actions in this life. In the Bible, it describes a day when that will happen. But is that just a Judgment Day myth? Or is Judgment Day real?
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The Bible: the basis of our faith in the Church Of Christ, which answers questions about proper worship, the right relationship with God, and most importantly, salvation. That’s in the Bible.
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: I’m Bob Pellien, and welcome to the program That’s in the Bible. Dear friends, we received a question regarding a very specific biblical topic. Lester from Salinas, California, asked, Is Judgment Day really going to happen?
Rather than answering your question immediately with a quick “yes”, let’s break down this topic in order to fully understand the answer that’s in the Bible. So to help us in our discussion, we’ll answer these main questions today.
First, will Judgment Day happen?
And secondly, what is Judgment Day?
And thirdly, who is affected on Judgment Day.
And when is Judgment Day?
And what will happen on Judgment Day?
So, dear friends, to begin, let’s start with that first question. Will Judgment Day happen? And you know, did God give us any assurance that Judgment Day will really happen? Let’s read God’s assurance that He did provide. As it’s recorded in Hebrews 9:27, I quote:
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Hebrews 9:27 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Here, dear friends, we can see two things that God has appointed. What are they? One, it is appointed for men to die. Two, there is judgment. Now here’s the thing. The same God that appointed death, well, it’s the same God that appointed judgment. And death is a reality that no one can deny. Therefore, we are sure the judgment is a coming reality.
Having confidence, though, that Judgment Day will come because, well, the Bible teaches it, that’s a good thing. However, much more important information about the Day of Judgment is needed by everyone. So let’s pose some follow up questions together. What is the Judgment Day that the Bible teaches about? What’s it about? We’ll start by reading once again from the answers of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. And for that we turn to the Book of Acts, chapter 17 and we’ll read together verse 31, and it says:
because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:31 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Here, dear friends, we can see that God has appointed a day. What’s His purpose in appointing this particular day? As we have just read, He will judge the world. This is, of course, additional biblical evidence that there will really be a day in which this world will be judged. And who has God appointed to carry out this judgment?
The Bible also said, the man whom he has ordained, which is none other than His begotten son, our Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ. Okay, so what will be used to judge the people of the world whether they’re innocent or guilty? Remember what we read? He said He will judge the world in righteousness. Dear friends, what is the righteousness which will be the basis of God’s judgment?
We turn again to the Holy Scriptures for the Bible’s answers to these important questions, and we do so turning to Romans chapter seven, verse 12, where it states this:
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
Romans 7:12 New International Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So according to what we can read here the law, the commandment of God, is what will be used to judge the world. That is how a distinction will be made between those that lived by following God’s law, or lived by breaking God’s law. By the way, what does it mean to break God’s law? First John chapter three, verse four:
Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God’s law, because sin is a breaking of the law.
1 John 3:4 Good News Translation
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So here we can read, dear friends, the answer of the Bible, the biblical definition, in fact, of the term sin. The Bible states that sin, it’s a breaking of God’s law. Break God’s law–you have committed sin. What’s the judgment of those who commit sin? They’re judged guilty. Guilty. And that leads us then to our important next question. Who is affected on Judgment Day? And the answer is those that have committed sin, those that are found guilty. Since Judgment Day will greatly affect those who have sinned, [we] should also know how many people in this world have committed sin, making them or rendering them then guilty on Judgment Day. Romans chapter three, verse 23 reads this way:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So according to the Bible, all have sinned and therefore would be judged as guilty on Judgment Day, guilty. So to ensure one is not judged guilty on that day, an action to obtain salvation is required. Because dear friends, what’s the sentence or the payment for being found guilty of sin on Judgment Day? Romans chapter six, verse 23 answers this way:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: And in fact, if we were to read that verse in other translations like, for example, the GOD’s WORD Translation, it even describes the wages of sin as the payment of sin, and that payment is death.
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The payment for sin is death, but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life found in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 GOD’S WORD Translation
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Initially, though, you know, one might think, well, death, it’s not such a bad wage or payment for being guilty of sin. Since we all die eventually anyway, right? So we can clearly see then that all people, good, bad, innocent, guilty, everyone eventually dies, right? So we have to ask then, is that the full payment of sin? Is the mere ending of one’s life here on earth the full or complete payment of sin? It is not. Why are we sure? Because the Bible describes another death. What death is the full payment for those guilty? Judged guilty? Well, for that we turn to the Book of Revelation and in Revelation 20:14 it reads this way:
Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And including verse ten, it goes on to read:
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.
Revelation 20:14, 10 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Here, dear friends, the Bible teaches that there is a second death. And what’s the second death? As we just read, it’s described as a lake of fire. This is the second death. And we have to ask, what’s going to happen to those who were deceived by the devil and therefore judged guilty of sin on the Day of Judgment? The Bible says that they will be thrown into that lake of fire. And what will happen?
They will be tormented. And how long is the sentence? We also read in this verse that they’ll be tormented day and night forever and ever. Dear friends, it’s a terrible price. A terrible price to pay for breaking God’s law. And this is what will be implemented on Judgment Day. So we, dear friends, all of us need to do something, right?
We need to do something to ensure that we’re not judged as guilty on that Judgment Day. And before we get to what that action exactly is, let’s ask next: When is this Judgment Day going to take place? When? The Bible responds this way in Second Peter chapter three, verses seven and ten, I quote:
But God has commanded the present heavens and earth to remain until the day of judgment. Then they will be set on fire, and ungodly people will be destroyed. The day of the Lord’s return will surprise us like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a loud noise, and the heat will melt the whole universe. Then the earth and everything on it will be seen for what they are.
2 Peter 3:7 & 10 Contemporary English Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Friends, when is Judgment Day? It’s not answered here in the Bible by giving us a calendar date, but rather by telling us it will be on the day when the heavens will disappear and this earth will be burned up.
The Bible also teaches that the Day of Judgment is also the day of the Lord’s return. So asking when is Judgment Day, well, it’s the same as asking when will Christ return, right? And the Bible teaches us that only the Father knows the time of Christ’s return.
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“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Matthew 24:36 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So the more important question, however, dear friends, is this: what’s going to happen on that Judgment Day? How does the Bible further, let’s say, further illustrate that day? It says the heavens will disappear with a loud noise. The Bible said that heat will melt the whole universe and the earth, and everything on it will be seen for what they are. It will be set on fire, and ungodly people will be destroyed. Therefore, the Judgment Day, which is the day Jesus Christ returns, it’s also the last day of this earth.
We started our discussion with five main questions. Let’s review what we have learned so far from the Bible and on this topic.
We asked: Will Judgment Day happen? How did the Bible answer? Yes, God appointed it to happen and that’s what’s recorded in the Bible.
What is this Judgment Day? The Bible answered, it’s the day that God appointed to carry out His judgment of the people of the world.
Who’s affected on Judgment Day? The Bible answered, those who have committed sin will have to pay for breaking God’s law.
When is Judgment Day? The Bible provided the answer. It is the last day of this earth when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. Only the Father knows the exact time of that.
What will happen on Judgment Day? The Bible answered. The heavens and earth as we know them will be destroyed, which of course includes all ungodly people.
Dear friends, Lester, who posed the question about Judgment Day as well, now that we have answered the these main questions that we posed together about the biblical teachings of Judgment Day, dear friends, even if, even if you know every detail of what’s going to happen on Judgment Day, but you don’t know how to be saved from the violent destruction to take place on that day, well, then all the information gained, it’s wasted.
So dear friends, do you want to be saved on Judgment Day? If your answer is yes, what’s the invitation of Jesus? He stated the following and it was recorded by the Apostle John in John 10:9 I quote:
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, …
John 10:9 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: That’s the invitation to be saved from the horrific elements of destruction on the Day of Judgment. What was the invitation? He said one must enter. He invited them to enter in, enter in to Christ, which we have often studied how we do that here inside the Church Of Christ. We studied how the scriptures teaches when Jesus said to enter into him, it’s enter into his body, Colossians 1:18.
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And He is the head of the body, the church, …
Colossians 1:18 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: And that body is identified as the church. And what church is that? We often read Acts 20:28 where it teaches us that’s the Church Of Christ, that he purchased or redeemed with his shed blood.
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Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed your overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.
Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So Lester from Salinas. California, you asked: Is Judgment Day really going to happen? The answer is a resounding yes, Lester. Get ready for it by joining with us inside the Church Of Christ, because that’s in the Bible.
Dear friends, we’d like you to continue learning about the teachings of the Bible taught here inside the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ. To do so, please visit us online and browse the different topics, or set up an appointment to meet with the Minister of the gospel at the local congregation of the Iglesia Ni Cristo nearest to you. And if you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us.
I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time here on That’s in the Bible.
