God’s judgment

Unbelief

Paul explained in his letter to the Romans how God planned to save the world by a means that was completely under his control. Paul introduced his topic by talking about God’s righteous judgment (Romans 2:1-11) and making it clear that no one can achieve righteousness on their own (Romans 3:10-11). Paul asked the questions, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” (Romans 3:3) to point out that belief is dependent on God, not the individual. Paul continued his questioning by asking, “But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” (Romans 3;1-3). God’s judgment is based on the fact that he made a way for everyone to be saved (John 3:16) and rather than turning away someone that wants to be saved, God only rejects those who have rejected his Son as the means of their salvation (John 3:17-21).

Paul used the example of Abraham to illustrate how God’s promise was realized through faith. Paul stated:

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrennessof Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:16-25)

Paul said that no unbelief made Abraham waver concerning the promise of God. The Greek word that is translated waver has to do with doubting. Abraham’s mind was set on what God said was going to happen. The fact that he was a hundred years old and Sarah was not able to conceive a child did not affect Abraham trusting in what God told him. Paul said that just as Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness, it will be counted to everyone who believes in Jesus also.

Paul then explained that God had intentionally set aside Israel so that the Gentiles could be grafted in as a wild olive shoot. Paul said of the Israelites, “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew” (Romans 11:2). Paul used the same Greek word to describe the remnant of Israel that he used in Romans 8:29, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” The Greek word proginosko (prog-in-oceˊ-ko), which is translated foreknew, means “to know beforehand.” Proginosko when “used of God’s eternal counsel it includes all that He has considered and purposed to do prior to human history. In the language of Scripture, something foreknown is not simply that which God was aware of prior to a certain point. Rather, it is presented as that which God gave prior consent to, that which received His favorable or special recognition. Hence, this term is reserved for those matters which God favorably, deliberately and freely chose and ordained. Used of persons, to approve of beforehand, to make a previous choice of, as of a special people (Romans 8:29, 11:2). The salvation of every believer is known and determined in the mind of God before its realization in time. Proginosko essentially entails a gracious self-determining on God’s part from eternity to extend fellowship with Himself to undeserving sinners. It emphasizes the exercise of God’s wisdom and intelligence in regard to His eternal purpose” (G4267).

Paul’s explanation of God’s plan of salvation included a warning about being cut off from God through unbelief. Paul said that just as the Jews were cut off because of their unbelief, so could the Gentiles. Paul stated, “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. Then you will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true. They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear” (Romans 11:17-20). Paul referred to the remnant of Israel as the root and said if they do not continue in their unbelief, they will be grafted in, “for God has the power to graft them in again” (Romans 11:23). The Greek term that Paul used that is translated graft in has to do with a divine impulse, what might be thought of as a pricking of the conscience. When Paul shared his testimony about his conversion on the road to Damascus, he told King Agrippa, “At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads’” (Acts 26:13-14).

Paul shared his firsthand experience about being grafted in again after having lived in unbelief. Paul was a notorious killer who stood by as Stephen was stoned to death for his faith. Before he was converted on the road to Damascus, Paul resisted the conviction of the Holy Spirit and refused to acknowledge Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. Speaking of the mystery of Israel’s salvation, Paul said, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins’” (Romans 11:25-27). Paul indicated there would come a time when Israel would be restored as a holy nation set apart for God and all Israel will be saved, meaning that everyone will believe in Jesus. The time that Paul was referring to takes place after the great tribulation during the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:4-6).

Paul explained that God’s plan of salvation required Israel to be hardened in unbelief for a period of time so that God could show mercy to everyone, but God always intended for them to eventually be saved. Paul stated:

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may nowreceive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. (Romans 11:29-32)

Paul said that God had consigned all to disobedience so that he could have mercy on all. In other words, God did not show partiality to the Jews by determining that only they would be saved. Peter said of God’s plan of salvation, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Paul concluded his explanation of God’s plan of salvation with a tribute to God’s wisdom and knowledge in crafting such a remarkable method of saving his chosen people. Paul exclaimed:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

God’s kindness is evident in his willingness to give his only Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 3:16), but the really remarkable thing about the way that God saves people is that he gives faith in Jesus to us as a gift so that it can never be repaid (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Peace with God

Jesus’ ministry on earth began when he was declared by John the Baptist to be, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). After Jesus was baptized, Matthew tells us that a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Not long before he was crucified, Jesus revealed to his disciples his purpose for coming to earth. Jesus told them, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28). The Greek word that is translated ransom, Lutron (looˊ-tron) is “used metaphorically for the ransom paid by Christ for the delivering of men from the bondage of sin and death (Matthew 2);28; Mark 10:45)” (G3083). Paul explained in his first letter to Timothy that Jesus was acting as a mediator between God and man when he died for the sin of the world. Paul said we should pray for all people because, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:3-6),

Jesus compared his position as the Son of Man to that of a slave (Matthew 20:27-28). Jesus served his Father and mankind by coming to earth to reconcile all people to God. In this relationship of servitude, Jesus was one whose will was completely subject to the will of another, the lowest term in the scale of servitude. A mediator, as a go-between, is “one who intervenes between two parties” (G3316). It was necessary for Jesus to intervene between God and mankind because of the wrath of God against sin. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (Romans 1:18). Paul indicated that God’s kindness is meant to lead people to repentance and then, went on to say, “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:4-5). Jesus took the wrath of God upon himself through his death on the cross. It says in Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Speaking of God’s eternal covenant of peace, Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus’ crucifixion states, “’For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,’ says the LORD, your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:7-8).

Paul explained that God’s love for humanity was expressed by him sending his Son to die for individuals that didn’t deserve his forgiveness. Paul said:

For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11)

Paul identified reconciliation as the means by which peace with God is accomplished. The Greek word that is translated reconciliation, katallage (kat-al-lag-ayˊ) means “exchange (figurative, adjustment), i.e. restoration to (the divine) favor” (G2643). To be reconciled means that we change toward God, we are no longer considered to be his enemies (G2644). Peace with God means “metaphorically, peace of mind, tranquility, arising from reconciliation with God and a sense of divine favor (Romans 5:1; 15:13; Philippians 4:7 [cf. Isaish 53:5])” (G1515).

Paul explained that the reason why Jesus’ righteousness could be attributed to sinners was because Adam’s sin was attributed to everyone who was born after him. Paul said, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19). Paul expanded on his explanation of Christ’s work of reconciliation in his second letter to the Corinthians. Paul stated, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

Jesus concluded his ministry on earth with a statement about having overcome the world. After his disciples indicated that they believed he came from God, Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:31-33). Jesus may have made reference to his disciples deserting him because he wanted them to be aware that his work of reconciliation was still incomplete, even though he stated that he had already overcome the world. It wasn’t until his disciples were justified by faith that they obtained access into God’s grace and peace with God was possible. Regarding his death and resurrection, Jesus said, “I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe” (John 14:29). When Jesus’ disciples believed, they were justified by faith and afterward, had peace with God (Romans 5:1).

A matter of the heart

The Bible views the heart in a much different way than we typically do. The first mention of the heart is in Genesis 6:5 where it says, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” What we think in our minds is important with regard to spiritual activity. If all we ever think about is evil, we will not be able to do what God wants us to. Jesus told his disciples, “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:18-20).

Moses instructed the people of Israel to “love the LORD your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The Hebrew word that is translated heart, lebab (lay-bawbˊ) is “a masculine noun meaning heart, mind, inner person. The primary usage of this word describes the entire disposition of the inner person that God can discern…It is also used to describe the place where the rational, thinking process occurs that allows a person to know God’s blessing (Joshua 23:14); to plan for the future (1 Kings 8:18); to communicate (2 Chronicles 9:1); and to understand God’s message (Isaiah 6:10). Like the English usage, it often refers to the seat of the emotions, whether it refers to joy (Deuteronomy 28:47); discouragement (Joshua 2:11); comfort (Judges 19:8); grief (1 Samuel 1:8); sorrow (Psalm 13:2[3]); or gladness (Isaiah 30:29)” (H3824).

Deuteronomy 10:16 talks about circumcising the foreskin of your heart. Circumcision was what distinguished the Israelites from all other people. When God established his covenant with Abraham, he said, “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:10-12). Moses later told the people of Israel, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6).

Jesus used the illustration of a tree bearing fruit to explain the connection between our hearts and what comes out of our mouths. Speaking to the Pharisees, religious leaders who were known for their religious hypocrisy, Jesus said:

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37)

The Greek word that is translated give account is logos (logˊ-os), which means “something said,” and in this instance refers to a discourse or conversation (G3056). Jesus indicated that God’s moral accounting system is based on our speech, “for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). Justification means that you have a right standing before God. You are legally free from the guilt and the penalty of sin. “As a matter of right or justice: to absolve, acquit, clear from any charge or imputation” (G1344). John identified Jesus as “the Word,” logos, indicating that he is the moral standard by which our words will be judged.

Paul talked about God’s judgment in his letter to the Romans. Paul said, “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:12-16). Paul indicated that the work of the law is written on the hearts of believers. In other words, the scriptures that reside in believers’ hearts cause them to do what the scriptures state.

Jesus said in his parable of the sower (Luke 8:5-8) that God’s word, or as Paul stated, his gospel, is sown like seed in people’s hearts. Jesus explained:

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:11-15)

Jesus said God’s word must be held fast in our heart, or more specifically, lodged in our minds, for it to bear fruit. Another way of thinking about this is that we must first comprehend God’s word before it can be translated into action.

Paul argued that circumcision was of no value to the Jews if they did not obey God’s commandments. Paul said, “For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. Being a Jew inwardly means that you are committed to living according to God’s word. This commitment is referred to as conversion and is our response to being regenerated by God or as Jesus put it, “born again” (John 3:3)

The book of Isaiah recounts God’s judgment of Israel and Judah and provides us with an example of how the whole world will be judged when Jesus returns. In Isaiah 29:13-16, the LORD said:

“Because this people draw near with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
    do wonderful things with this people,
    with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
    and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
    whose deeds are in the dark,
    and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
    “He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
    “He has no understanding”?

God said the people had turned things upside down by denying him as their Creator, and in a very little while he intended to intervene (Isaiah 29:17).

Paul rebuked the Romans because of their unrepentant hearts and said, “You are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:5). Later in his letter, Paul talked about salvation being available to everyone and encouraged the Romans to confess their sin and be saved. Referring them back to Deuteronomy 30:1-14, where Moses talked about God circumcising the people’s hearts, Paul asked, “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:8-10).

No excuse

Paul introduced his gospel message to the Romans with a declaration that was intended to get their attention and to motivate them to pay close attention to what he was about to explain to them. Paul declared:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-23)

Paul said unbelievers have no excuse for not believing in God because his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived since the creation of the world (Romans 1:20). Paul went on to say that unbelievers knew God, but they did not honor his as God or give thanks to him (Romans 1:21). The Greek word that is translated knew in Romans 1:21, ginosko (ghin-oceˊ-ko) means “to know, in a beginning sense: that is, to come to know, to gain or receive a knowledge of” (G1097).

The Greek word ginosko is sometimes translated as perceived (Matthew 16:8; 21:45: 22:18), as well as, aware of (Matthew 24:50). Jesus used the word ginosko in his response to Philip’s request, “Lord, show us the Father” (John 14:8). Jesus asked, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?” Jesus was surprised that Philip hadn’t been able to figure out who he was. Jesus’ explanation suggests that ginosko may refer to spiritual perception. Jesus told Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works” (John 14:9-10), but Jesus also made it clear that the works he was taking about were associated with results that were obvious to the senses (John 14:12-14). Paul indicated that unbelievers know the truth about God, but choose to suppress it, “For what is known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (Romans 1:18-19). “Romans 1:18 is probably to be understood as possessing a knowledge of the truth, but living in unrighteousness” (G2722). In other words, unbelievers know some of the things they do are right and other things are wrong and choose to do those things that they know are wrong.

Paul linked God’s invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature, with the creation of the world (Romans 1:20). The Greek word that is translated Creator in Romans 1:25, ktizo (ktidˊ-zo) means “to bring under tillage and settlement. In the New Testament: to establish, to create, produce from nothing” (G2936). “God called the universe into being of his own free will and by his absolute power, creating everything out of nothing…There are many concepts (such as creation) that the finite mind cannot completely grasp, and man must accept them by faith (Hebrews 11:3, 6)” (note on Genesis 1:1).

Paul told the Romans that the “righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith” (Romans 1:17). The Greek word that is translated revealed, apokalupto (ap-ok-al-oopˊ-to) means “to take off the cover…in the passive, of things which become known by their effects” (G601). Paul stated in his greeting to the Romans that the gospel message he was going to share with them had been promised beforehand by the prophets (Romans 1:2). Jesus coming into the world was not an unexpected event. It was the fulfillment of prophecies that the people of Israel were aware of for hundreds of years. Pagan priests came from Persia to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). When King Herod asked the chief priests where the Christ was to be born, “They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet’” (Matthew 2:5).

It says in Hebrews 11:1 that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Conviction has to do with the certainty of something. The Greek word elegcho (el-engˊ-kho) means “to prove one in the wrong and thus to shame him” (G1651). After Job made his final appeal to his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, another man named Elihu joined the conversation. It says in Job 32:1-3, “So these three men ceased to answer Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong.” Elihu later asserted God’s justice, stating, “Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice” (Job 34:12). The Hebrew word that is translated justice, mishpat (mish-pawtˊ) refers to “a legal decision” (H4941). “God stands in absolute, essential opposition to sin, so he must judge and punish sin.” [1]

Justification is the sovereign declaration of God that the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been imputed to those who have trusted in his sinless obedience and his substitutionary atonement on the cross for their salvation. When God justifies a person, he no longer treats him as a sinner but reckons him to possess that righteousness which Jesus Christ earned on his behalf. The declaration of justification does not come through any past, present, or future merit in the sinner. Justification is based exclusively on the merits of Jesus Christ and is received through faith alone. [2]

Paul used the example of Abraham’s justification to explain that righteousness is a gift and that it is counted to us or imputed by believing that God’s Word is true (Romans 4:1-12). God’s accounting system is based on imputation, which means “to take an inventory, i.e. estimate” (G3049). Imputation is a thinking process that results in God reaching a conclusion about an individual’s sin (Romans 14:12). God only imputes righteousness to people who believe that Jesus died on their behalf to pay the penalty for their sin.

Paul argued that unbelievers have no excuse because they judge others for things they do themselves (Romans 2:1-2). Paul asked, “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:3). The judgment that Paul was talking about was “the act of judging in reference to the final judgment, as the day of judgment (Matthew 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:36; Mark 6:11; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:7; 1 John 4:17)” (G2920). It says in Romans 14:12 that “every one of us shall give account of himself to God. The Greek word that is translated account, logos (logˊ-os) means “something said” (G3056). John used the word logos to refer to Jesus. John said, “In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word (logos) was with God, and the Word (logos) was God” (John 1:1). John went on to say:

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:10-13)

Paul explained in his letter to the Romans that we must publicly confess or openly acknowledge that we believe in Jesus in order to be saved. Paul said, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10). Jesus confirmed this requirement when he said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

Paul concluded his argument about there being no excuse for rejecting Christ with a statement that summarized God’s intent when he sent his Son Jesus to us to die for the sin of the world. Paul asked, “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Repentance is necessary for justification to take place. A person that has not truly repented is not considered to be free from guilt and is at risk of being excluded from God’s kingdom, even if he has been born again. In his illustration of the final judgment, Jesus said all the nations will be gathered before him, “and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). To those who had not demonstrated the characteristics of sanctification, or holiness, in their daily life (Matthew 25:42-44), Jesus said, “these will go away into eternal punishment,” but the ones who were justified, or made righteous by placing their faith in Christ, entered “into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).

[1] John Macarthur and Richard Mayhue, Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth, p. 184.

[2][2] Statements and Affirmations – Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, Doctrine of Justification

Competing priorities

God set in motion the rebuilding of his temple in Jerusalem by stirring up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclamation that the Jews were free to go home and rebuild the house of the LORD after having lived in captivity in Babylon for 70 years (Ezra 1:1-3). Over the course of almost 100 years, thousands of Jews returned to their homeland and rebuilt the city of Jerusalem and God’s temple. The Jews progress was slow and was sometimes interrupted by interference from their enemies, as well as, competing priorities in their day to day lives. It says in Ezra 4:1-5:

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra said that the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build. The Hebrew word that is translated discouraged, râphâh (raw-fawʿ) means “to slacken” (H7503). The Jews rebuilding effort slowed down because they were afraid that their adversaries would harm them. Even though the Jews were doing what God wanted them to, they thought their lives might be in danger and chose to reduce their effort in order to avoid being attacked. Eventually, the Jews stopped working all together and for sixteen years they did nothing to fulfill their purpose of returning to the land, to rebuild the house of God (Ezra 4:5, 24).

God sent the prophet Haggai to Jerusalem in 520 BC to remind the Jews that rebuilding his temple was supposed to be their number one priority. Haggai’s first message was a stirring challenge that was delivered directly to the political leader, Zerubbabel and spiritual leader, Joshua. Haggai said, “’Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.’ Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, ‘Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?’” (Haggai 1:2-4). Haggai confronted the Jews about their competing priorities. “The people emphasized the decoration of their own houses while doing nothing for God’s house.” Haggai went on to inform the Jews that their neglect of the temple had resulted in God’s judgment on them (Haggai 1:6-11) and explained that, “their self-centered lives could not satisfy because God was not blessing. Their first priority should have been that God would be honored (v.8, cf. John 15:8; Ephesians 1:6)” (note on Haggai 1:1-11). Haggai said:

^“Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.” (Haggai 1:5-11)

Haggai twice exhorted the Jews to “Consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5, 7). The Hebrew words that are translated consider, suwm (soom), which refers to “God’s sovereignty over all creation, especially that of humankind” (H7760) and lebab (lay-bawbˊ), which is “used to describe the place where the rational, thinking process occurs that allows a person to know God’s blessing” (H3824) suggest that Haggai was appealing to the Jews on the basis of their professed allegiance to God.

The Jews struggled to put God first in their lives and seemed to easily forget that they had a responsibility to honor God in all that they did. In addition to this, God’s chosen people faced continual opposition from the people around them that often undermined their commitment to God. Ezra indicated that one of the reasons no work was completed for sixteen years was because during the reign of Ahasuerus, a letter was written with an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. The people of the land said if the city was rebuilt, the Jews would not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue would be impaired (Ezra 4:6-13). As a result, a decree was issued that the rebuilding of the temple had to stop (Ezra 4:21). “Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshei the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease” (Ezra 4:23).

The prophets Haggai and Zechariah were able to reinvigorate the Jews efforts to rebuild the house of God, but the local opposition continued. It says in Ezra 5:1-5:

Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” They also asked them this:“What are the names of the men who are building this building?” But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.

Zerrubbabel and Jeshua were not intimidated by Tattenai and Shetharbozenai’s threats because “the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews” (Ezra 5:5). This meant that God was involved in the situation and was not allowing Tattanai and Shetharbozenai to get the upper hand. God wanted work on the temple to continue and was bolstering the leaders’ efforts to keep the rebuilding project in Jerusalem going.

Haggai’s four messages, which were delivered between the months of August and December in 520 BC, focused primarily on the importance of the Jews obedience and spoke of the people needing to have a firm resolve in order to do what they had intended to when they returned from captivity in Babylon. “Haggai pled with the people to keep in mind the motives for their labor. The Israelites were guilty of being slothful in their service (Haggai 2:14-16), and the result was God’s punishment (Haggai 2:17). The prophet called them to renew their vigor in accomplishing the task that God had called them to do: the rebuilding of the temple” (note on Haggai 2:18). In his final message, Haggai used the word consider three times to draw attention to the negative consequences that had resulted from the Jews letting competing priorities get in the way of them doing what God expected them to. Haggai asked:

“If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.” (Haggai 2:13-19)

Haggai’s message concluded on a positive note with a promise from God that he would bless the Jews because they had finally gotten their priorities straight. Even though the birth of Israel’s Messiah was still a long way off, God added a footnote to Haggai’s message stating that the covenant he made with David had not been negated by the Jews captivity in Babylon (note on Jeremiah 22:24-30). God preserved the birth line from King David to Jesus through Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:23). Zerubbabel is listed in both of Jesus’ genealogies (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27), indicating that Jesus’ physical birth, as well as his spiritual heritage, were linked to Zerubbabel.

Enthusiastic disobedience

The Ark of the Covenant was an important part of the sanctuary where the people of Israel met with God because it contained the mercy seat which was necessary for atonement of sins to be made (Leviticus 16:15-17). God told Moses, “There I will meet with you, and from above he mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel” (Exodus 25:22). In the early years of Samuel’s ministry, “The Israelites treated the ark as a kind of magic charm instead of the testimony of God’s presence and power” (note on 1 Samuel 4:3). The Israelites brought the Ark of the Covenant into their camp during a battle with the Philistines thinking it might save them from the power of their enemies (1 Samuel 4:3), but “there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured” (1 Samuel 4:10-11). The ark was in the country of the Philistines seven months (1 Samuel 6:1) and then, it was voluntarily returned to the Israelites because “the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors” (1 Samuel 5:6). First Samuel 7:1-2 states, “And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.”

One of the first things that David did after he became king over all Israel was to bring up the ark of God from the house of Abinadab. It says in 2 Samuel 6:3-10:

And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

“The severe judgment on Uzzah, despite his good intentions, served notice to the people of Israel that God must be revered and obeyed. Uzzah showed disrespect for the Lord by touching the ark (Numbers 4:15). Furthermore, as one of the priests, he was disobeying God by letting the ark be carried on a cart. The ark was supposed to be carried by priests upon staves or poles (Exodus 25:12-15). Uzzah’s actions illustrate that one is often led into additional error and disastrous consequences by disobeying God’s specific instructions” (note on 2 Samuel 6:7).

David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:8), but later realized that his enthusiasm to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem didn’t excuse him from doing it the right way. David explained to the priests and the Levites before they made a second attempt, “Because you did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule” (1 Chronicles 15:13). The New Living Translation of 1 Chronicles 15:13 indicates that the problem with David’s attempt to move the ark was that he didn’t ask God how to do it properly. When the Philistines returned the ark to Israel, they transported it to Beth-shemesh on a new cart pulled by two milk cows that had never been yoked and had just had their calves taken away from them (1 Samuel 6:7). The Philistines did this so that they would know if the hand of the LORD had struck them or “it happened to us by coincidence” (1 Samuel 6:9). “It is normally difficult for even cows who have been trained to be driven straight down a road when their calves have just been taken away from them. In this case, the cows did follow a straight line, carrying the ark back to the Israelites, which revealed that their behavior was controlled by God” (note on 1 Samuel 6:7-12). The Philistines success in transporting the ark on a new cart may have influenced David’s decision to do the same, but the mistake that David made was assuming that he didn’t have to transport the Ark of the Covenant the way that God had instructed the people of Israel to do it.

The Hebrew word that is translated seek in the phrase “we did not seek him according to the rule” (1 Chronicles 15:13) is darash (daw-rashˊ), which means to consult or ask. “One of the most frequent uses of this word is in the expression ‘to inquire of God,’ which sometimes indicates a private seeking of God in prayer for direction (Genesis 25:22), and often it refers to the contacting of a prophet who would be the instrument of God’s revelation (1 Samuel 9:9; 1 Kings 22:8). At other times the expression is found in connection with the use of Urim and Thummim by the high priest as he sought to discover the will of God by the throwing of these sacred stones (Numbers 27:21)” (H1875). David inquired of the LORD on numerous occasions (1 Samuel 23:2, 4; 30:8; 2 Samuel 2:1; 5:19, 23), and yet, he did not do so in this instance. It could be that his enthusiasm to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem overshadowed David’s sense of dependence upon God. 2 Samuel 6:20-23 suggests that David was humbled by his tragic mistake. It says in 2 Samuel 6:14 that David “danced before the LORD with all his might” as the ark came into the city of David. Afterward, David’s wife Michal accused him of being one of the vulgar fellows who shamelessly uncovers himself (2 Samuel 6:20), but David responded, “I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!” (2 Samuel 6:21-22, NLT)

The millennium

At the conclusion of the Great Tribulation, a transition in power takes place that makes it possible for Jesus to begin his millennial reign on Earth. John tells us, “the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 19:20, NKJV). Even though the beast and the false prophet received immediate judgment from God and were punished for their deception of everyone on Earth, John indicated that Satan was only bound with chains and cast in the bottomless pit until the “the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:3, NKJV). Satan’s temporary imprisonment seems to suggest that evil will still exist in the world during the millennium, but it will be restrained by the military force that defeats Antichrist’s political regime (Revelation 19:14, 21). The reason Satan must be loosed at the end of the millennium could be because he is still able to utilize his power until God’s final judgment of mankind begins.

God’s judgment starts in the millennium, but the initial phase seems to be limited to what has just happened during the Great Tribulation. John said, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received the mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:4-5). It’s possible that the first resurrection only applies to the nation of Israel and the promises that God made specifically to his chosen people. If so, this judgment might be based on the Mosaic Law and could determine whether or not the Jews that took the mark of the beast and worshipped Antichrist will be allowed to inherit the eternal kingdom that was promised to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17:8).

According to John’s prophecy, there will be an innumerable amount of people that will join with Satan at the end of the millennium to try and overthrow God’s kingdom (Revelation 20:8). John indicated, “They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 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 20:9-10, NKJV). The unusual thing about Satan’s final defeat is that he wasn’t allowed to harm anyone when he and his army surrounded the camp of the saints and the city of Jerusalem. It appears that God might have just been using Satan to identify and eliminate all the rebels that were still left on Earth. The fire that came down from heaven was like a holy cleansing agent that was able to completely rid the world of Satan’s evil influence once and for all.

God’s final judgment of mankind was described by Jesus shortly before he was crucified. Jesus said, ““When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left” (Matthew 25:31-33). The throne of glory Jesus referred to is depicted in Revelation 20:11 as “a great white throne.” John said of this event, “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing 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 20:11-12). The Greek word translated dead, nekros refers to a corpse, but it is “the actual spiritual condition of unsaved men” (G3498). Everyone that is not saved or born again will be judged by God according to their works. Jesus said the criterion for judgment would be the kind of treatment shown to the Jewish people (note on Matthew 25:31-46), but John indicated, “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

Babylon

Israel’s connection with Babylon began long before the nation of Judah was taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:8-11). The people of Babylon were known as the Chaldees or Chaldeans. It’s noted in Acts 7:2-4 that Abraham came out of the land of the Chaldeans and was led by God to dwell in charan (khaw-rawn’) which eventually became the nation of Israel. God’s judgment of Babylon seems to be related to the effect its culture has had on his chosen people. The prophet Ezekiel’s parable of the adulterous sisters (aka Samaria and Jerusalem) indicated that the nations of Israel and Judah had committed whoredoms with Assyria and Egypt (Ezekiel 23:7-8) and lusted after the Chaldeans. Referring to the younger sister Aholibah who represented Jerusalem, Ezekiel prophesied, “Then I saw that she was defiled; both took the same way. But she increased her harlotry; she looked at men portrayed on the wall, images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, girded with belts around their waists, flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like captains, in the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity. As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ‘Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their immorality; so she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them'” (Ezekiel 23:13-17, NKJV).

In his revelation of the end times, the Apostle John was shown “the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters: with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (Revelation 17:1-2, NKJV). John stated, “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” Revelation 17:4-5, NKJV). The Greek word translated mystery, musterion (moos-tay’-ree-on) means “(to shut the mouth); a secret or mystery (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites)” (G3466). It could be that the actual identity of the harlot that John saw was Jerusalem because John was told, “the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18, NKJV). Earlier, John was told that the dead bodies of the two witnesses would “lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8).

The location of the harlot that John was shown in his vision of the future was the wilderness (Revelation 17:3). It says in Revelation 12:5-6 after the woman “bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron…Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” It could be that the harlot and the woman that bore the male child represent the same entity, Jerusalem. Therefore, the judgment of Babylon and Jerusalem are linked together by their adulterous relationship. When John saw the woman in the wilderness, she was sitting on a scarlet colored beast, “full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 17:3). John was told, “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. ‘Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast'” (Revelation 17:8-13, NKJV).

John’s vision of the woman sitting on the scarlet beast may have been intended to represent Jerusalem’s involvement in a political system that is run by Antichrist. It appears that Jerusalem will be betrayed and caused to suffer for her infidelity to God. John was told, “the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled” (Revelation 17:16-17, NKJV). Isaiah’s prophecy of God’s judgment for universal sin indicated that the entire world would be turned upside down (Isaiah 24:1) and the city of confusion broken down (Isaiah 24:10). The term “city of confusion” is probably a composite of all the cities opposed to God — such as Babylon, Tyre, Jerusalem and Rome” (note on Isaiah 24:10). John recorded, “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities…Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her” (Revelation 18:4-5, 8, NKJV).

Last chance

Many of the Old Testament prophets talked about the LORD’s judgment of Israel and the surrounding nations that had caused her to brake her covenant with God. In particular, Isaiah portrayed “the day of the LORD” as a time period when the earth would be turned upside down and Jerusalem “ruined” because of her rebellion against the LORD (Isaiah 2-3). Isaiah’s prophecy included a parable of the vineyard that expressed God’s disappointment with the nation of Israel and indicated he would judge them along with the other nations of the world. He said, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down, and I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned or digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it” (Isaiah 5:4-6).

Jesus told a similar parable after his authority was challenged by the chief priests and elders of the people of Jerusalem (Matthew 21:33-44) and then he went on to talk about a marriage dinner for the king’s son (Matthew 22:2-14). Both of these parables seem to coincide with the events that take place in the final chapters of the book of Revelation. After the second beast forces everyone “to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name,” John recorded, “And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harps harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts and elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth” (Revelation 14:1-3).

The 144,000 people that were redeemed from the earth are identified in Revelation 7:5-8 as being 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel that were sealed as servants of God. These people are not Christians, but are described by John as virgins that are the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb (Revelation 14:4). Although these individuals are referred to as saints and they keep the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12), they are not born again, but have apparently obtained salvation through supernatural obedience to God’s word (Revelation 14:5). John said, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13). The purpose of these saints seems to be to stand by the Lord as he confronts Satan’s unholy trinity. The saints do not preach the gospel or try to convert unbelievers. The world’s last chance to hear the gospel is by means of the heavenly proclamation of an angel. John said, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of the waters” (Revelation 14:6-7).

The primary objective of God pouring out his wrath on the earth is to purge Israel from the sins that have been committed in and through her. The 144,000 Jews that are sealed by God at the start of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:4) may represent the remnant that God promised to save (Isaiah 10:20-21). Isaiah prophesied, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isaiah 10:27). The Hebrew word translated anointing, shemem represents the type of olive oil that is used to anoint a memorial or a future office bearer (H8081). Jacob used shemem when he set up a pillar and poured oil on top of it at the location where he discovered the “house of God” (Genesis 28:17-18). After the first angel proclaims the everlasting gospel (Revelation 14:6), another angel follows, saying, “Babylon is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God” (Revelation 14:8-10).

The last chance that God gives the world to avoid his wrath might be somewhat like giving a man that is about to jump off a bridge and kill himself a chance to turn over a new leaf; his mental state is too deranged to accept such an offer. Instead, there will be a great harvest of unbelief that will trigger God’s final judgment of the nations (Revelation 4:14-20). The prophet Joel described this scene by stating: “Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:12-14). After the final call to repentance was given, John recorded, “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God…And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth” (Revelation 15:1, 16:1).

Just before the final vial is poured out on the earth, a gathering takes place in anticipation of the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:14, 16). In the midst of this gathering, Jesus interjects with an unusual comment. He says, “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!” (Revelation 16:15, ESV). In his parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants, Jesus talked about the need to always be ready for his return because it would happen at a time that was unexpected. He said, “But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:43-44, ESV). Jesus’ comment in Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief!” seems to suggest that his second coming to Earth takes place just prior to the battle of Armageddon. John’s declaration in Revelation 14:1 that “on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (ESV) may have been the visual depiction of what actually occurs in Revelation 16:15. Afterward, the seventh vial is poured out “and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne saying, It is done” (Revelation 16:17).

Silence in heaven

A dramatic pause in God’s judgment of the world occurs just after the seventh and final seal of the book that was given to the Lamb of God is opened. It says in Revelation 8:1, “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” The Greek word translated silence, sige (see-gay’) means to “to hiss, i.e. hist or hush” (G4602). The closest thing in our language would be shushing someone or telling him to be quiet. Although in the case of the silence in heaven, it appears that it’s a natural reaction to the seventh seal being opened. One way to think about what is happening might be to imagine something like an awards ceremony. As the envelope is being opened, everyone sits in silent anticipation, waiting for the judges’ final decision to be announced.

The length of the silence in heaven after the seventh seal is opened seems like an unusually long break in the activity that’s taking place. In a typical conversation, there is rarely more than a few seconds that passes without someone talking. Even when we are publicly acknowledging a significant event, it is customary to observe only a moment of silence, not several minutes or half an hour. The Greek word John used to designate the time period, hemiorion (hay-mee-o’-ree-on) is derived from two words that suggest John was referring to a half hour according to a heavenly timekeeping system. In other words, an eternal half hour. The Apostle Peter indicated God’s timekeeping system is different than our own. He said, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).

John’s statement that there was “silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (Revelation 8:1) may have been meant to convey the idea that the length of the silence was unbearable and the suspense was killing him, so to speak. What happened afterward was an unusual display of worship in which the prayers of the saints were offered on the golden altar (Revelation 8:3-5) as if they were a sacrifice that God was expected to respond to. John said, “And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:4-5).

According to the Mosaic Law, one of the responsibilities of the kinsman redeemer was to execute the murderer of his relative (H1350). In Revelation 6:9-10, John refers to this responsibility and states, “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” The phrase “them that dwell on the earth” is a regular designation in Revelation for mankind in its hostility to God. “These are those that oppose God, receive the mark of the beast, and on whom the tribulation is focused” (note on Revelation 6:10). The persecuted saints that were crying out for vengeance were told they must wait until their fellow servants and their brethren should be killed as they were (Revelation 6:11). This appears to have already taken place in Revelation 7:14, therefore it seems like the silence in heaven and seven trumpet judgments that follow in Revelation 8-9 could be attributed to the Lord’s vengeance of his church’s martyred saints.

The first four trumpet judgments appear to take place in rapid succession, similar to the unleashing of the four horsemen, but then there is a shift in attention to an announcement that is made to the entire world. John said, “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound” (Revelation 8:13). Jesus often used the Greek term translated woe as an exclamation of grief to the numerous unrepentant sinners that he came in contact with during his ministry on Earth. In particular, the scribes and Pharisees were singled out and told, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:33-36, ESV).

The severity of the first two woes that John recorded in Revelation 9 were significant because they seemed to be designed to bring such a devastating blow on mankind that repentance would be inevitable and yet, John said, “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts” (Revelation 9:20-21). At this particular point in time, it appears that there will be no believers left on the earth, everyone that is alive is in blatant opposition to God and his commandments. The only clue we have about the size of the population that will be left is that the population of Earth will first be reduced by one-quarter when the pale horse of Death is released (Revelation 6:8) and then, by another third when the four angels are loosed (Revelation 9:15). If these events were to take place today, 3.9 billion or roughly half of the 7.8 billion people on plant Earth would be eliminated. This seems to coincide with Jesus’ prediction, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left” (Matthew 24:40).