The God we serve is merciful and longsuffering. He loathes to punish, but righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne, and the time will come when He must pass judgment and determine every man’s destiny. For God’s children, that is in progress right now. For those who have not accepted the gospel, the judgment takes place during the millennium spoken of in Revelation 20.
The judgment should always be in our view because we are living in the most solemn period of earth’s history, when the eternal destiny of everyone who has ever professed the name of Christ is being decided. If you are uncertain about these facts or do not understand them, you are invited to go to the Steps to Life web page to enroll in our Bible course. These studies will enable you to not only understand what the Bible says about the judgment and that it is taking place right now, but also to help prepare you to be ready for that grand and awful day when the judgment is finished and every man’s eternal destiny is fixed by an unchangeable decree.
Here are a few facts about the judgment:
We will be judged by our deeds: Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:10.
We will be judged according to the words we have spoken—for the recording angel has recorded them all: Matthew 12:36, 37; Ecclesiastes 5:6, 7.
We will be judged according to the thoughts we have espoused and cherished: Isaiah 66:18; Matthew 15:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 4:5.
Our name must be retained in the book of life in order for us to be saved: Revelation 20:13–15.
For our names to be retained in the book of life, we must overcome sin: Revelation 3:5.
We must be Christlike in character: 1 John 3:1–3; Colossians 1:27, 28.
The standard of character by which we will be judged is the ten commandments: James 2:10–12.
“Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge.” Psalm 50:6
“Silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man’s destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy’s offer to guilty men.” The Great Controversy, 491
“Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming … lest, coming suddenly, He find you sleeping.” Mark 13:35, 36