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What Should We Know about The Coming Judgment?

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The Coming Judgment

© 2023 C. O, Bishop

2nd Thessalonians 1:4-12

4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: 5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: 6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction:

Last week we saw how Paul was using the good report of the spiritual growth in the church at Thessalonica to encourage other churches as he travelled. He said “We glory in you in the churches of God…” We also saw that part of the reason he could see their Faith and Love was evidenced by how they were responding to persecution and hardship.

But we only briefly touched upon the Coming Judgment. (Notice, too, that he says in verses six and seven that God will “recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.” And (in contrast,) to you who are troubled, rest, with us.”The believers will receive rest from the harsh realities of living among hostile nations. Those who were their antagonists will face judgment.

There are several Judgments we need to address:

  1. The General Judgment (condemnation) of the World. (John 3:18, 19; Romans 1:18, etc.)
  2. The Judgment of Sin at the Cross. (Colossians 2:14; 1st John 2:2)
  3. The Judgment Seat of Christ (believers) (2nd Corinthians 5:10; 1st Corinthians 3:10-16)
  4. The Judgment of Living Nations (believers and unbelievers Matthew 25:31-46)
  5. The Great White Throne Judgment (unrighteous dead only) (Revelation 20:11-15)

This list is not exhaustive…looking back in time, we can see many judgments. It is important for us to remember that Jesus is always the Judge. He is not “just the Savior:” He is also the Judge. He gave His life to prevent our being destroyed in the Judgment which His Righteousness requires Him to bring. But these five are the judgments that we see presently or ahead of us and which we might be worried about.

Please bear in mind the two promises of God:

  • John 5:24, which says believers will not come into condemnation, and
  • Romans 8:1, 2, which says we have been set free from the Law of Sin and Death, and that “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Our “position” In Christ, separates us from Judgment, just as Noah and his family were separated from judment by their position inside the Ark.)

Which of These Five Judgments Will Affect Believers?

The General Condemnation

Clearly, the General Condemnation of the Human Race once affected every one of us, directly. We all were lost sinners, regardless of our individual qualities or actions. But that is why Jesus went to the Cross! He freed us from that condemnation. It still affects us indirectly, as all the troubles, evil, and pain in the world still exist because of the curse in Genesis 3, which still has not been lifted. But we have been separated from that curse by our position in Christ.

The Judgment of Sin at the Cross

Jesus lifted the Judgment of the Curse, by bearing the Judgment of the Cross! Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” His blood paid the sin-debt for all humans, past, present and future. 1st John 2:2 spells it out: “And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole World.”

But the General Condemnation remains, for those who reject His sacrifice. (John 3:18 says they are condemned already, because they “have not believed in the only begotten Son of God.”) All that is required of them to escape that Judgment is to choose the Judgment of the Cross, where Jesus bore the judgment of our sins. Until they make that choice, they are still “in Adam,” where we all died spiritually, because of Sin. (See 1st Corinthians 15:22)

The Judgment Seat of Christ

All believers face the Judgment Seat of Christ. (2nd Corinthians 5:10) But this judgment is the judgment of the works of believers. It is an “awards ceremony.” We can read some details about it in 1st Corinthians 3:10-16, The works will be evaluated for their eternal value. Reward for service is to be awarded on the basis of that Judgment. And it is for believers only. Our position in Him guarantees that we will face this judgment, just as it guarantees our security in Him. We will never be condemned, because we are in Him (Romans 8:1, 2; John 5:24)

When people “line up for their pay” in a large factory, or in a military organization, for example, they have to already be an employee, or, already a member of the armed forces. Working without having been an employee does not bring reward, but rather, it brings punishment for “trespassing,” or for “impersonating a member of the military.”

It is possible for a believer’s works to not have eternal value. In John 15:5, Jesus said “Apart from Me ye can do nothing.” So, if we have not been walking with Him, and have not been working with Him, then our works may “look good,” but their eternal value is questionable.

The Judgment of the Living Nations

Matthew 25:31-46 gives us the most details about this judgment. It includes believers and unbelievers, all in their natural bodies and all facing judgment as to whether they will enter the Millennial Kingdom alive, right then, or enter eternal punishment as enemies of God.

There are numerous mentions of this “division of the people by the omniscient Judge,” but this passage allows us to see when it will happen (at the end of the Tribulation, immediately after Jesus’s physical return to earth. Compare Revelation 19.) It tells us where it will occur: on planet earth…and, very likely at Jerusalem, as it says, “He shall sit upon the throne of His Glory.” He will be reigning from Jerusalem, so it seems likely that the Judgment will take place there.

This Judgment, as usual, will be based upon faith or the lack thereof; but, in this case, that faith will have been evidenced by how the people treated the Jews and the Tribulation saints. People who believe in Jesus as their Savior will express that faith by caring for His people. People who do not believe will not care for His people. But the determining factor, as always, is still faith.

The Great White Throne Judgment

Remember that the Judge, in all the cases we have listed, is Jesus Christ. John 5:22 says He is the only Judge. Jesus said, “The Father judgeth no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son.” (That means the “Judge of all the Earth” in Genesis 18:25 was also Jesus!)

So, the One sitting on the Throne, in Revelation 20:11, is Jesus, in His full Glory. It is interesting to see that (see Genesis 3:8) in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve heard “the voice of the LORD God walking in the Garden in the cool of the day,” they fled at the sound of His voice, and they hid. (That was Jesus, too! God the Son is the Member of the Trinity who always shows up to walk and talk with humans.)

When will this Judgment occur?

So, now, at the very end of time, Jesus shows up on the Great White Throne as the Eternal Judge, and all the progeny of Adam and Eve respond the same way they did! It says, “Heaven and Earth fled from before His face.”

And that (apparently) is when the Judgment of 2nd Peter 3:10 will occur: “The heavens and earth shall pass away with a fervent heat and a great noise.” (Revelation 21:1confirms this connection.)

So where will the church-age believers be, during that Judgment? Our position will not have changed: We will still be in Him. And, as a result, we will be with Him on that throne! (According to Ephesians 2:6, we are already there. And in John 14:3, Jesus promised, saying “…that where I am, there ye may be also.”)

Deep Grief and Solemn Joy

Will we be “happy” to be at that judgment? No! It will be a terrible tragedy, but we will absolutely know and agree that God the Son is doing right, by making that judgment. But, it is after that judgment that He says, “He will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

You see, that will be the final Judgment and the end of all death, and sorrow, crying, and pain. Psalm 30:5 says, “…weeping may endure for a night, but Joy cometh in the Morning!” Jesus is called the Morning Star, and His Day is eternal. That is the “Morning” we all long to see!

Why are Believers Excluded from this Final Judgment? (verse 10)

“…because our testimony among you was believed…”

We are saved by Grace, through Faith, plus Nothing! The Thessalonian believers were saved sinners, just like us. But Paul said that the Lord will be worshipped and admired by all those who believe in Him, and then he specifically reminds them of how they became believers. Paul and Silas had brought the message of salvation to Thessalonica, in Acts 17. Those who became believers did so because they believed the testimony of Paul and Silas. They believed the Gospel!

The long-term effect of believers’ faith is the eternal worship of Christ, as our Redeemer. And, for the first time, when He returns, believers who are still in their natural bodies (those in Matthew 25:31-46) will be seeing Jesus in His full glory!

What Should be the Result of all this “Positional Truth?”

All of the things we have talked about so far, (except the results of the Judgment Seat of Christ) have been positional Truths. They are true because we are “In Christ.” That is our location: our position. But positional truths should result in conditional changes!

Wherefore…

11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul says that he was praying for the believers that their lives would be pleasing to God so that He would agree that they lived up to their calling: That they were acting in a manner worthy of their family connection to Him.

And the result in their lives was that God would fulfil the Good Pleasure of His Goodness in them, and that His Grace would be manifested in their lives and that others would Glorify God because of what they could see happening in the lives of those believers. They would see the power of God working in the lives of the believers and the work of faith being done by the believers.

And the result in our lives?

“That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in Him”…all according to the Grace of the Father and the Son. We are not to fear condemnation from God, but I think it is healthy to fear displeasing Him, because it means we are missing out on our only opportunity to serve with Him.

When we take Communion together, we are publicly stating that we have placed our faith in Jesus’s shed blood at the Cross, as full payment for our sins.

Each of us is saying “Jesus died for me! And He is coming back to take me home with Him!”

This is what we have in common. This is what we share at the Lord’s Table.

Lord Jesus, we desire to see you as our Savior and our Lord; We know we will stand before you at the Judgment seat to receive reward, and we desire to be worthy of that reward. Teach us to consistently walk with you, and let our daily behavior have eternal worth.

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Our Focus for the Future

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Our Focus for the Future

© 2021 C. O. Bishop

2nd Peter 3:10-18

Introduction:

Last week we addressed the idea of “Refocusing for the Future:” turning our eyes away from the turmoil and destruction of this world and focusing on the Word of God and the task we have been given, so that God can lift us above the trials, allowing us to serve Him undisturbed.

We touched last week on what the end times will include, and we encouraged everyone to read the book of Habakkuk and try to emulate Habakkuk’s response to the destruction of his culture and his nation. Some of you followed through and have read that book, and saw both the coming judgment and the God who lifts us above that judgment.

We saw that the bad news is simply that judgment is coming. But the good news is that Jesus saves! That is a simple enough message that anyone can preach it and anyone can understand it, and yet it is of sufficient depth and complexity to keep the most astute student of God’s Word busy digging, and thrilled with what he finds, for the rest of his life.

Virtually all “good news” in life is predicated on some pre-existing “bad news.” Last week we rejoiced to know that “Lisa,” the woman of whom it was said, it would take a miracle to save her life, who had been placed in a medically-induced coma and who was on a ventilator, was now off the ventilator and doing better. That was good news because it was a reversal of the bad news!

The good news, years ago, that Australia had perfected an antivenin which was effective for the bites of 85 different kinds of venomous snakes was predicated upon the bad news that Australia has 140 different kinds of venomous snakes!

The bad news in our lives originated in the Garden of Eden, thousands of years ago. We were all plunged into sin and destruction by the one bad decision of our progenitor, Adam. We all suffered the “snake-bite” of Satan there in the Garden. Jesus said in John 8:44 that Satan “was a murderer from the beginning.” Who did he kill? Us! So, as we were all “bitten” by that same venomous enemy, before the human race had begun to produce, and all have passed on that venom to our progeny, we need to look to the only “Antivenin”—the only cure for that poison in our systems. God’s only cure for the fatal disease called sin is the Blood of Jesus, shed at the Cross! Jesus is “Plan A” and there is no “Plan B!” And each sinner needs to receive it personally.

So, today we are going to continue by reiterating the “bad news” of the coming Judgment for sin, and then focusing on the Good News of the second coming of Christ and what we are supposed to be doing in the meantime.

Bad News

Beginning the Day of the Lord

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;

1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes the Rapture in clear terms, and is immediately succeeded by 1st Thessalonians 5:1, 2, which reiterates that the Day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night. And immediately thereafter, it begins describing the tribulation period, which, though it arrived without announcement, just as a thief, it is quite unlike a sneak thief in every other way. The whole point of being a “sneak thief” or a “cat-burglar” is to not be detected, except when the owners of the place wake up and find that something valuable is missing.

The Rapture is the portion of the “Day of the Lord” which “comes as a thief in the night,” and the World will indeed “wake up” to find that the Christians (the real ones) have all gone missing! But that may not bother them, depending on how they felt about Christians. It will certainly be a shock, but it may be frightening to some and elating to others.

The next verse, 1st Thessalonians 5:3, says that “when they shall say ‘peace and safety,’ then shall sudden destruction come upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape.” When labor pains begin, childbirth is still ahead: so, what is being described here is the beginning of the tribulation. And it says everyone will be saying, “peace and safety.” There is a peace-treaty mentioned in Daniel 9:27, wherein the antichrist will make such a treaty and break it.. Matthew 24:15 confirms the idea, and finally, 2nd Thessalonians 2:3, 4 makes the Daniel prophecy clear: the antichrist will make a treaty with Israel which is to be a seven-year peace-treaty, during the first half of which, the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem: but he will break the treaty at the 3-1/2 year mark, and seat himself in the temple to be worshipped as God. For the last half century, the whole world has been yearning for a working peace-treaty in the Middle-East. It will come! They will rejoice! But it will only last 3-1/2 years, and culminate in the most terrible, worldwide destruction this world has ever seen.

Jesus described that tribulation in Matthew 24 and Mark 13…and in Matthew 25:31-46, He describes the second coming. He describes the judgment of the living nations saying that those who were saved will proceed into the Kingdom, (not Heaven! Heaven is still future.) (He discusses their works, but, as the rest of scripture assures us, their works showed their faith.) He declares that the unrighteous unbelievers will proceed (eventually) into everlasting fire.

But that Kingdom age is described in much detail: 1000 years long according to Revelation 20, and filled with Peace and righteousness, and the knowledge of the Lord, according to the Old Testament prophets. But it ends in violence, as did all the other ages, and this time, it is the end!

in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Revelation 20:11 describes the Great White Throne judgment: it says that all heaven and earth flee from the face of Him who sat upon the throne, and “There was found no place for them.” Why?  Evidently this is where the “Fervent heat and great noise” come into play, because in Revelation 21:1 says there was a New Heaven and New Earth “because the first earth was passed away.” And, between the passing of the first earth and the creation of the New Earth, was the judgment of the unrighteous dead of all time. They all had been cast into the lake of fire.

The End of the Day of the Lord

That is some pretty bad news we just read, except for the Good News that there is a New Heaven and a New Earth coming, and that we will be with Jesus while He judges the world, and that we are never to be condemned again. This is why John 5:24 is so precious, along with Romans 8:1. Jesus declared in John 5:24 that those who have placed their faith in Him will never be condemned by God, while Romans 8:1 reiterates that “There is now therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.”

The condemnation of the unrighteous world will “pass over” the believers, who have trusted in the Blood of the Lamb of God. Does that sound familiar? I surely hope it does! The Passover was a picture, a prefiguring of this very promise: that the wrath of God will pass over the people of God, because He sees the blood of the covenant…Jesus’s Blood at the Cross…and offers no further judgment. As Jesus proclaimed from the Cross, “It is finished!”

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

As we then consider the coming Judgment, the ultimate Bad News which will take the World by surprise, and finally end the Day of the Lord with the promised destruction and Judgment, we need to take seriously the last request of the Lord, that we are to reach the World with the Gospel; because it is His deep desire that people be saved. And the only “Ambassadors of His Grace” that He has appointed are His saints…the believers. You and me!

Consider a firefighting crew.

Several of the members of that crew may be fully trained medics. Several will have Commercial Driving Licenses (CDL) and whatever special training is needed to drive a fire truck. A couple of them may be trained mechanics, to keep the trucks in top shape. Some will be skilled managers, etc. But every single one of them is a firefighter! Their job is to fight fires. Their particular “assignment” or “task” within the firehouse may include anything from doing Public Relations work, to performing fire inspections, or just cleaning and inspecting their own fire-fighting apparatus. But their collective job is to fight fires!

You may have the task of teaching a Sunday school class, or doing bookwork, or helping with food distribution, or repairing a church building, or mentoring younger believers…but your Job is to Preach the Gospel. You are a chosen ambassador of Christ! Take that seriously! Don’t lose sight of who and what you are in Christ!

Finally: How should We respond?

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

We are told that, since the coming Judgment is a sure thing, and that there will be millions of people lost, for lack of the Gospel, that we need to be doing what He said to do! That includes a holy lifestyle, and the constant walk with God. But it also includes being an Ambassador.

15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

It is interesting to me that as Peter is telling us to get on with the job counting the longsuffering of God to be an open door for salvation to those willing to trust Him, that he also cites the Apostle Paul, who preached that very thing. In 1st Corinthians 15:34, Paul said “Awake to righteousness and sin not, for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” The point? Evangelism is our job. If it isn’t happening, at least at some level, we should be ashamed of our nonfeasance of duty.

17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

Peter warns us that we can be distracted and fall away into non-function, and unfruitful behavior.  What could be the contrast? (How should we act in order to not be led astray?)

18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The next verse answers that question: “Grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” And we know how to do that: 1st Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby!”

To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

And the result will be “Glory to God in the Church by Christ Jesus…”, forever! Here again, Peter agrees with Paul. (Ephesians 3:21 “21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”)

Lord Jesus, we ask your forgiveness for failing to do the job you have called us to do, and we ask that you renew a right spirit within us, giving us a passion for the lost. Let us see the World as you see it, and offer the Love of God, as you have called us to so.

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A Warning to the Wealthy

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A Warning to the Wealthy

© 2020 C. O. Bishop

James 5:1-6; Psalm 73:1-12; Psalm 37:1, 2, 16

Introduction:

We have been working through the book of James for quite some time, taking excursions to address other matters from time to time, but in general, pressing on with James. James has proven to be a very practical book, and in chapter five it becomes quite “pointed” for the first six verses. In keeping with the topic of the last month, the next few verses give us some insight into our response to the world around us.

It is easy for us to become disgruntled or envious as we see others prosper, especially if we know that the persons in question are living in such a way as to dishonor God, so that they are prospering in spite of their ungodliness, or possibly because of it. What we are going to read today is God’s response, both to them and to us.

Interpreting James Chapter 5

1Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

There are several questions we should be asking, as we consider this passage:

  • Who is speaking?
  • To whom is this passage speaking?
    • Is this a general condemnation of wealthy people?
      • How much do I have to have, to be “wealthy?”
    • Is this passage speaking to believers or to unbelievers?
  • What does it say?
    • Is this a statement that wealth itself is evil?
    • If not, then what is the issue?

Obviously, this is a good time to be very careful to “compare scripture with scripture,” in order to ascertain what God is saying, and to whom, as well as what effect it should have upon believers as a whole; and, finally, “how does this affect me?”

Let’s take the above questions one at a time:

Who is speaking? To us, as believers, and specifically as those who believe the Bible is literally the Word of God, the answer is simple: God is speaking. There are believers who begin to sort out the scriptures “by writer,” as if one writer had more authority than another, or more credibility. If that is the case, then the Bible is a bewildering mixture of authoritative and non-authoritative writings, and we are effectively declaring ourselves to be the “authority” who determines which is which. I hope you can see the problems inherent in that approach to the Bible. I choose to place my confidence in the Bible as the Word of God. Yes, there are human writers, but the result is God speaking through them.

To whom is the writer speaking? It is important to ask this question, too, because, while all of the Bible is for us as believers, not all of it is “to” us. There are portions which are pronouncements of judgment on enemies of God, and are not to us at all.

As we read through the book of James, we can see that up to this point (and beginning again in verse seven), James has clearly addressed the “brethren;” specifically speaking to the needs of believers. Here, he seems to change audiences for a moment, and speaks briefly to a different group. How can we tell? Back in chapter one, verses nine and ten, he addressed the poor and rich “brothers”, and rather than condemning the rich, he asks that they rejoice in being “brought low.” Also, comparing the many references to kings and wealthy men in the Old Testament, there is not a condemnation of wealth, nor the wealthy, but a recognition that, as a rule, God has blessed them (the Godly, wealthy men, such as Abraham.)

So, the question we finally have to answer is whether the passage speaks to believers or to unbelievers: unregenerate men whose wealth was not from God.

I read, not long ago, that, because open land is scarce in Japan, and golfing is extremely popular, golf-courses were becoming crowded to the point of being unusable, until the owners raised the fees high enough to “thin the ranks” and make the courses less crowded. Their shameless intent was to make golf completely inaccessible to people of modest income, thus making it a “privilege of the rich”, while making themselves very wealthy as well, through the green fees. But there was an embarrassing, unintended result: Only very wealthy people could play, certainly, but that meant that, very publicly, now, the politicians, industry potentates, and the organized crime leaders together, shared the clubhouses: Everyone could see the “connections.” They all seemed to be “together,” as…they were “together.”

I don’t know what eventually became of that; I am not a golfer, but if I had been, and if I had found myself in such a situation, I would have abandoned the game. Actually, there was a similar situation at work years ago, wherein it became common knowledge that “the way to get promoted was to join the golf league, and schmooze with the bigwigs.” I would not have believed such a story, except that I saw it in action numerous times, and some of the “beneficiaries” of this “insider” gamesmanship bragged about having “golfed their way” into their current jobs. I found such goings-on deeply repugnant, and, when invited to join, I was glad I could honestly say, “I don’t play golf.”

Since God does not condemn people for how much they have, nor how little, and He warns believers not to give special attention to believers who are wealthy, I think it is correct to conclude that the “rich,” here in James 5:1-6 are unbelievers, who are literally guilty of the crimes he lists. What is coming for these “rich,” then? And why? Why is it worthy of “weeping and howling?” Let’s compare Psalm 73:1-12 (read it.)

The Unbelieving Rich

The Psalmist says (Psalm 73:3-12) that, in their lifetimes, these wicked rich prospered; and they did not even seem to suffer in death, but were strong all their lives. He says that this bolstered their personal pride, and gave them confidence that they could do whatever they wanted, including violence and greed, and exalting themselves against God. We have “celebrities” today who speak boldly against the God of Heaven as the psalmist describes in verse nine, and wealthy politicians who oppress the very people they claim to represent. I recall various celebrities even claiming to be God, while others claimed themselves to be more popular than Christ, and still others insist that God does not exist, and they “re-invent Jesus” in various vile forms, far removed from His holy, omnipotent reality, as both the “Judge of all the Earth,” and the Savior.

Does this behavior of the wicked, who rant against God, go unnoticed? It surely seems to do so, from our perspective, doesn’t it? And it did from the psalmist’s point of view, too! He said that his own attention to the ways of God had been for nothing (Psalm 73:13-16): “I have cleansed my heart in vain…I have been plagued…and chastened every morning.” He was becoming bitter, and frustrated, but when he entered the temple, (Psalm 73:17-23) God gave him something to change his mind. He allowed the psalmist to see the “end” of the wicked. He saw that they had been lulled into complacency by their own sin, and were trapped in their wickedness, and despised by God: and that their final destination was an eternity in Hell. The psalmist then repented of his own bitterness and resentment, as he realized that, while things had not been “comfortable” from his own perspective, he, in fact, had continually been with God.

That is a good thing for us to keep in mind, as well, when we see the wicked flourishing. They always have done so: this is nothing new. They open their mouths against God, and league themselves with the enemies of God. So, the enemies of God reward them, and they flourish. But the final result is the total disaster of eternal damnation. So there is a warning, here, in James, to exactly that sort of person: “Repent, because judgment is coming!”

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

We make jokes about this sort of thing, saying, “You can’t take it with you!” But the fact is, you not only will not prosper by it, eternally, but, if you fall into this category of ungodly “prosperity”, the very riches themselves will stand in the judgment, as testimony against you.

When the “books are opened”, as in Revelation 20, these things will testify against you, not for you. We tend to see the rich as having been “blessed by God,” but it entirely depends upon two things: How did they get the wealth, and what did they do with it? There have been wealthy individuals who inherited wealth, and regardless of how it was originally amassed, they used it faithfully, once it was under their control

We can read the account of Hezekiah, in 2nd Chronicles 29. It says that, when Hezekiah became king, he immediately used his inherited authority to open the doors to the Temple, which had been closed up by his ungodly father, and to exhort the Priests and Levites to use their divinely-appointed authority to go in and clean out the interior of the Temple (where he had no authority.) He then saw to it that the idols were dragged out, broken up and thrown into the muddy creek east of Jerusalem—the Kidron. The ultimate result of his inherited wealth and authority was a full-scale revival in Judah. (Read chapters 29-32.)

There have also been wealthy industrialists, (R.G. Letourneau, for example) who started out with nothing, who earned the money through inventions and entrepreneurship, and who not only did not mistreat their employees on their way to such wealth, they gave heavily to support missions or other humanitarian works. I do not believe that such persons fall under this condemnation. But to those who cruelly exploited their workers, and ignored the plight of the poor, and ignored the call of God, all these things will testify against them. Judgment is coming!

Notice, too, that it specifically warns that the treasure is being heaped up for the “last days”…the tribulation, or the judgment day. This is not addressed to a believer. We will not be involved in those things.

4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

What a terrible indictment against these individuals, whoever they are/were. Obviously it is not an indictment against every rich person in history, but it seems that it could easily apply to many, whose lives actually have matched these accusations. There are counter-examples within the scriptures, and there are counter-examples alive today. But the fact is, the very wealthy of this world have frequently gotten there by “stepping on” the poor. Not always, of course, but it is certainly an observable phenomenon. And this warning is to those persons.

Consider the Book of Ruth, though: God does not condemn the wealthy Boaz, for instance, because he was definitely treating his workers well, and reached beyond the legal requirements, with Grace, in order to meet the needs of Ruth. It is also clear that he had no designs upon her, at the start: her mother-in-law, Naomi was the one who initiated the move to have Ruth approach Boaz as the “Kinsman-Redeemer”; Boaz had only given instructions to his workers to add Grace to her gleanings. (I love that book, by the way, as it is such a clear, tender picture of Christ.) But the workers blessed Boaz voluntarily, and He blessed them in return, as well as eating with them in the field: he did not see himself as “above them,” socially. He chose to eat with them in fellowship, as Jesus chooses fellowship with us.

Finally, the accusation is that they have condemned and killed the “just” (singular), and he (singular) has not resisted them. Who is that one Just man? I think the condemnation here is specifically against the ungodly of this world, who, collectively, down through the ages, have approved the crucifixion, through their own choices and actions. Our sins put Jesus on the Cross! All of us bear that burden. But whether you will meet Him as your Savior or as your Judge is up to you! If you meet Him as your Judge, remember what you have done to Him by your life! If you would rather meet Him as your Savior, then throw yourself upon His mercy, offered through the Cross!

If you know that you will meet Him as your Savior, then consider how you are responding to Him today as your Lord. He is the Judge of all the Earth, and that includes the Judgment seat of Christ, where our works will be judged. Nothing escapes His attention. Yes, my sins were judged at the Cross, but my works are still awaiting judgment and will either be eternally worthy of reward, or eternally worthless.

As I look back at my life, I can easily see that much of my effort has been directed at things which were ultimately a waste of time. That is pretty sad, but it is true. God sets the standard. We can either believe it or not believe it, but the standard remains the same.

So, how should we respond?

I can truthfully say that this verse is not speaking “to” me, as:

  1. I am not an unbeliever, and
  2. I have no employees, regardless of whether I could be accused of being “rich” in anyone else’s opinion. (We know that, to people in very poor nations, the poorest people in the United States would be considered very wealthy, by their standards. But that is not the issue, here.)

I also know that this passage is written “for” me: The whole Bible is! So how can I profit from this specific passage, and how should I respond to it?

If nothing else, it should alert me to the fact that while the possessions and actions of this life are passing and temporary in nature, our actions and attitudes are by no means unimportant, in light of eternity. God doesn’t miss anything at all! According to Jeremiah 17:10, He will render “…to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doing.”

Further, Psalm 37:1-4 tells me how I am to respond to those around me: I am not to “fret” about them, nor to envy them, nor try to “right their wrongs” myself: I am to “trust in the Lord and do Good,” and to commit my way to Him and allow Him to take care of my needs.

I don’t know what the eternal rewards are, because we simply are not told. But I do know they are eternally worthwhile! So, since the rewards for proper response to God are eternally worth having, a proper response to God is also worth the effort. I can ask myself:

  • How do I use my time?
  • How do I use my belongings?
  • How do I use my money?
  • How do I handle relationships?
  • How do I treat people who have not treated me well?

Each of these is a part of how we can determine whether our lives are fitting the pattern set by The Lord as being “Lights in a dark world” and “ambassadors of Christ.”

Lord Jesus, allow us to see ourselves clearly in the light of your Word, and to see the World clearly, through the eyes of your Love. Help us to repent of the things that fall short of your honor, and to live as ambassadors of Christ.

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