Jesus The Judge

What is the highest court in the world? Ask any statesman, politician, or legal expert, and they’ll point to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), commonly known as the World Court. The World Court rose out of the turmoil of World War II to encourage nations to settle their disputes with laws rather than war. As the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, the ICJ’s purpose is to settle legal disputes between nations and to issue opinions about international law. Fifteen judges are selected from around the world, and they sit on a towering bench in an ornate hall of a building known as the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.

In 1986, Nicaragua accused the United States of supporting right-wing rebel groups in covert operations, and the World Court ruled against the United States. But, the U.S. refused to pay, and the World Court had no authority to enforce its penalty.   

More recently, in January 2024, South Africa accused Israel of genocide before the World Court, and the judges granted some of the orders South Africa requested, though it failed to order Israel to suspend its military actions in Gaza immediately. 

Some observers wonder if the ICJ will become part of the one-world government coming during the end-times tribulation. The Court’s title—the International Court of Justice—implies more authority than it has. And it’s vulnerable to the shifting politics of an increasingly secular world.

But one day, there will be an International Court of Justice made up of one infallible Judge who is impartial, righteous, and possesses unquestioned authority. It’s overwhelming but ultimately encouraging to study our Lord’s future role as Judge. 

1. The Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Something akin to the medal ceremonies at the Olympics awaits every believer since the time of Pentecost. The seven-year tribulation will follow the rapture, but the tribulation isn’t the only event that takes place shortly after the rapture. There’s also the judgment of the resurrected and raptured believers.

• The Meaning of “Bema” 

The phrase “the judgment seat” is one Greek word: bema, which means a platform. When used in an athletic context, like the ancient Olympic Games, it refers to a raised throne on which a dignitary sat. Each victor came to the bema to receive his crown—a wreath of leaves. Perhaps you’ve seen the president of the United States award an honor, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Typically, the president enters the East Room of the White House as the band plays “Hail to the Chief,” and he steps onto a raised platform. At the right moment, the recipient comes to the platform from which the president makes the award. In biblical times, that platform would have been called a bema.

Bema is also used in a courtroom setting, such as when Paul appeared before the Roman official Gallio, who sat on an elevated seat to pass judgment (Acts 18:12-16), not unlike the raised benches judges sit at in courtrooms today. We also see this in the Gospels when Jesus stood before the judgment seat of Pilate in John 19:13.

The Judgment seat of Christ isn’t about our salvation but our stewardship. It’s not about condemnation but about commendation. Jesus will judge how well we managed the gifts, talents, opportunities, and responsibilities He entrusted to us. Specifically, He’ll judge three broad areas in each life.

• Three Areas of Judgment

1. Jesus will judge our actions. (Psalm 62:12, Matthew 16:27, Ephesians 6:8) 
2. Jesus will judge our words. (James 3:5-6, 8, Matthew 12:36-37)
3. Jesus will judge our thoughts. (Jeremiah 17:10, Revelation 2:23, 1 Corinthians 4:5)

• The Results of the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 1 John 2:6; 4:17)  

But the basis of His judgment—the how—is whether these three are worthy or unworthy of divine merit, what Paul called “good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The Greek word translated “bad” (phaulos) literally means “worthless.” It has the idea of being cheap, useless, and empty. 

Imagine a jeweler on Fifth Avenue receiving a box of jewelry from an estate. His keen eye would instantly detect fake stones from real diamonds and rubies. The former would end up in the trash, while the latter would become prized showcase pieces. It’s important to be able to distinguish between the valuable and the worthless things in our lives, and one day, we’ll give an account of how we did. 

When Jesus is through with those, He’ll reward us. Sometimes, the Bible refers to these rewards as “crowns.” There are crowns of various kinds, which I’ll mention at the end of the message. Some of these rewards are special privileges in Heaven, others involve special praise from our Master, and still others relate to special positions of authority.  A Christlike life will bring us crowns and overwhelming joy.

2. The Judgment of the Tribulation Martyrs

• The Time: During the 75 Day Interim

The second judgment over which Jesus the Judge will preside involves the tribulation martyrs. As I mentioned in the previous message, the 75-day interim between the end of the tribulation and the beginning of the millennial kingdom will be a time of judgment, when Jesus the Judge rewards the believers who refused to take the mark of the Beast or bow to his idol during the tribulation. Enraged, the Antichrist will slay many of these believers by having them beheaded.

• The Reason: Vindication of the Martyrs 

John records their pleas for vindication in Revelation 6:9-10 which says, “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;  10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

• The Reward 

Their justification will come when Jesus the Conqueror returns to earth, destroys the Antichrist’s army, and throws the Antichrist into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). The Lord will reward these martyrs during the interlude before the millennial kingdom when they are resurrected and appear before the Judge. 

Because of their steadfast faithfulness to the Lamb in the midst of suffering and persecution, these tribulation martyrs—these “blessed and holy” ones—will receive their reward in full. They’ll serve as “priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years” (v. 6), alongside the apostles who’ll judge the tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:29-30) and other saints who’ll serve in the King’s administration (2 Timothy 2:12).

As Judge, Jesus will reward His faithful people. Don’t think of our Lord’s judgment only in negative terms. Yes, He will punish evil, but He will also make sure His faithful people are safely and eternally secure in the joys of their Lord.

3. The Judgment of Israel

• The Time: During the 75 Day Interim (Matthew 24:15-22, Isaiah 11:12)

As the judgment of the tribulation martyrs end, another is looming—the judgment of Israel. During the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist will persecute and kill many who come to Christ, including both Jews and Gentiles. But since his immediate activities will center on the land of Israel, many Jews living there will flee (Matthew 24:15–22). At the end of the tribulation, surviving Jews will be regathered in the land and face judgment during the 75-day interlude between the tribulation and the millennial kingdom. 

• The Reason: The Separation of the Righteous from the Unrighteous (Ezekiel 20:33-35, 37-38, Romans 11:26, Jeremiah 23:6, Revelation 20:4, Ezekiel 48:1-28, Genesis 18:25)

Once these Jews are gathered in Israel, each one will stand before Jesus the Judge. He’ll separate the righteous (those who accept Jesus the Messiah in belief) from the unrighteous (those who reject Jesus the Messiah in disbelief).

4. The Judgment of the Gentiles

• Similarities to the Judgment of Israel 

Like the judgment of Israel, the judgment of the Gentiles will take place in the 75-day interim between the tribulation and the millennial kingdom. It’ll also be like the Israelite judgment in that it will separate the righteous from the unrighteous, determining who enters the millennial kingdom and who is purged. Like their Jewish counterparts, those who enter the millennial kingdom do so in their mortal bodies and are subject to death, to be resurrected at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:4). The details of the judgment of the Gentiles are found in Matthew 25:31–46.

• The Identity of the “Nations” (Joel 3:2, Matthew 25:34-46, Revelation 13:16-17)

The Greek word translated “nations” (ethne) in Scripture always refers to Gentiles. The collective nature of the word has led some interpreters to view this as a judgment on nations made up primarily of non-Jews, like the United States, France, or Germany, deeming them either righteous or unrighteous. But that’s not the case. Ethne here refers to individual Gentiles who come from all the various nations of the world.

• The Basis for the Judgment of the Gentiles (Matthew 25:34-40)

Generally speaking, the basis of this judgment, according to Joel 3, involves how Gentiles treated Jews—specifically the 144,000 Jewish witnesses. How Gentiles respond to these special messengers from God who witness during the Tribulation is a proxy for their attitude toward Jesus Christ.   

5. The Great White Throne Judgement (Revelation 20:11-15)

• Distinguished from the First Resurrection

The “first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5) is an all-encompassing phrase that includes the resurrections of Jesus, of the dead in Christ at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16), of the martyred at the end of the tribulation (Revelation 20:4), and of the saved at the end of the millennial kingdom (vv. 5–6).

• Description of the Second Resurrection 

Next, John described what is known as the “second resurrection”—the resurrection of unbelievers from all time in Revelation 20:12-13.  

• Judgment of the Unsaved and Their Punishment  (Revelation 20:6, 11-12, Psalm 14:3, Isaiah 64:6, Revelation 20:14-15)

Because God “is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34), every unbeliever who rejected the gift of salvation offered by the Messiah will stand before Jesus the Judge, whether “great or small.” The Judge’s bench is described as “a great white throne,” and the one who sits on it is none other than Jesus Himself (Revelation 20:11).

With all the unsaved of the world gathered before the Judge’s throne, the Lord Jesus will open two sets of books. One contains all the names of those who have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, from Adam to the present time—this is the “book of life.” The other contains all the names of those who have rejected Jesus as Savior and Lord from the beginning of time to the present. Like an account’s ledger, this book records the deeds (every word, action, and thought) of unbelievers. It is the “book of death” because those whose names are written in it will experience what John called the “second death”—eternal punishment in hell.

• Descriptions of Hell 

Hell will be a place of condemnation, remorse, guilt, and shame for every careless word and deed (Matthew 12:36), a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42), a place of “eternal punishment” lasting perpetually and without end (Matthew 25:46), a place of “tribulation and distress for every soul” who inhabits it (Romans 2:9), and a place of “eternal destruction” or eternal separation from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

6. Conclusion: Judge You This Day

• Five Specific Crowns  

As I have said before, the Bible sometimes uses the word “crowns” to describe these rewards, and Bible students through the ages have identified five specific ones in God’s Word:

1. an IMPERISHABLE CROWN for those who lead a disciplined life in the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:25)
2. a CROWN OF REJOICING for those who evangelize and disciple others (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
3. a CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS for those who long for the Lord’s appearing (2 Timothy 4:8)
4. a CROWN OF LIFE for those who endure trials and persecution (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10)
5. a CROWN OF GLORY for those who shepherd God’s people faithfully (1 Peter 5:1–4)

• The Promise of Jesus the Judge 

Just as Olympians commit themselves to their sport and discipline themselves in the hope of one day standing on the victor’s podium and receiving a medal, faithful followers of Jesus commit themselves to Him and discipline themselves to pursue Him with their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength in the hope of one day receiving a reward from His hand. He promised, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12).  

Your day of judgment is coming. Are the decisions you’re making today consistent with what you want to hear when you stand before Jesus the Judge? 

Full Passage: Acts 17:30-31